Investigations
NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE08010 - closed, opened 2008-02-04.
NHTSA investigation PE08010 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2008-02-04 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2008-06-12 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE08010 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) DURING PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE08-010, GM PROVIDED ODI WITH 41 ALLEGATIONS OF NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES INCLUDING 1..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) DURING PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE08-010, GM PROVIDED ODI WITH 41 ALLEGATIONS OF NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES INCLUDING 16 ALLEGATIONS OF FIRES ORIGINATING WITH THE IGNITION IN THE OFF POSITION. ONE OF THE FIRES WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY AN ARSON EVENT. ODI HAS ALSO RECEIVED 5 REPORTS, 4 OF WHICH ARE OF DUPLICATIVE OF REPORTS PROVIDED BY GM, ALLEGING NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. IN TOTAL, ODI IS AWARE OF 41 NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES THAT ARE UNRELATED TO ARSON. EIGHT OF THE 41 FIRE ALLEGATIONS ALSO ALLEGE PROPERTY DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE FIRES. THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA08-010) TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, ORIGIN AND CAUSE OF THE ALLEGED NON-CRASH RELATED ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.