Investigations
Bosch EV charging coupler overheating
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE14011 - closed, opened 2014-04-15.
NHTSA investigation PE14011 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2014-04-15 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2014-11-21 - 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 PE14011 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: "The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a total of 2 allegations of an overheated charging coupler on a Bosch Power Xpress 240V electric vehicle charger. According to the owners, the vehicles began to emit..." 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
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a total of 2 allegations of an overheated charging coupler on a Bosch Power Xpress 240V electric vehicle charger. According to the owners, the vehicles began to emit smoke after charging at home for over an hour and the charger coupler to the vehicle was hot to the touch. The overheating condition caused damage to the vehicle and charger, and in some cases, rendering both inoperable. One owner received a mild burn to his finger when attempting to detach the charger from the vehicle. The Bosch Power Xpress 240V charger is designed to recharge the battery of any electric vehicle using the standard, UL approved, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 charging coupler. The Bosch charger is hard wired at 240V into a home or business in a stationary installation and is capable of charging a vehicle at a rate of 16 to 32 amps. Testing conducted by Bosch indicates that the overheating condition in the coupler is caused by high electrical resistance in the metal charging pins encased within the J1772 coupler. The high resistance is the result of multiple factors including corrosion, wear on charging pins, charging pin plating materials, charging pin crimp connections and environmental conditions. All reported failures have occurred on vehicles charging at 30 amps with no indicated failures on chargers being operated at less than 30 amps. Throughout the production run of Power Xpress chargers, Bosch has used 3 different coupler designs with 2 different suppliers. However, there is no clear indication that one design is more failure prone than another. There have been no reported fires as a result of this issue. The coupler outer shell is made from a UL tested high temperature resistant material and all reported overheating events have been contained within the coupler. Bosch collects and maintains charger user records which indicate that out of over 6000 chargers sold, approximately 400 customers use the charger at 3
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.