Investigations
Occupant Restraint Controller Failure
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE17003 — closed, opened 2017-06-01 and involving the JEEP LIBERTY.
NHTSA investigation PE17003 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2017-06-01 and currently closed. The subject of record is JEEP LIBERTY, which places this file inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue for JEEP. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2017-12-25 — 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 PE17003 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 opened this Preliminary Evaluation to investigate VOQ complaints alleging a failure of the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) module in model year (MY) 2012 Jeep Liberty. The purpose..." 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. Related JEEP files, listed below, give context on whether this is an isolated concern or part of a broader pattern across the brand.
Investigation Summary
The Office of Defects Investigation opened this Preliminary Evaluation to investigate VOQ complaints alleging a failure of the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) module in model year (MY) 2012 Jeep Liberty. The purpose of the investigation was to understand Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) complaints stating that the air bag warning light remained illuminated while the vehicle was in operation. In many cases the warning light issue was reportedly corrected by a replacement of the ORC module. In 2013 FCA issued NHTSA safety recall 13V282 to address ORC module failures caused by an electrical over stress (EOS) condition that damaged an internal resistor. The failure lead to non-deployment of the active head restraints in rear impact crashes of sufficient severity to require deployment. This condition would also result in illumination of the air bag warning light and set a B2208 diagnostic trouble code (DTC). Recall 13V282 involved two different remedies based on the model year and model of the recalled vehicle. Some models were repaired by replacing the ORC with an updated unit. However the subject vehicles of this investigation, which made up the largest population in the recall, received a software update to the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM), another electronic device that is involved in powering of the ORC. After the investigation was opened, FCA began collecting failed subject vehicle ORC modules so they could be analyzed for failure causation. From June 2017 to August 2017 FCA obtained 13 ORC modules and analyzed 10 of them. FCA determined 9 contained evidence of the resistor over stress condition. Of that group, 7 had experienced resistor failures prior to the TIPM being re-flashed under the recall action. In these cases, replacement of the ORC module would have been the only effective repair to extinguish the air bag warning lamp. This observation correlates well with VOQ complaints ODI received from consumers who experienced an airbag warning light
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.
Other JEEP Investigations
Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Failure
Underhood fires
Loss of Motive Power
False overheat leading to loss of motive power
Electronic Parking Brake Water Ingress
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. Learn more.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.