Investigations
SEPARATED STRNG KNUCKLE
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE87031 - closed, opened 1987-05-13.
NHTSA investigation PE87031 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1987-05-13 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1987-08-05 - 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 PE87031 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: "SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: GENERAL MOTORS HAS SUBMITED ONE FIELD REPORT PERTAINING TO A CUSTOMER OWNED VEHICLE WITH PROBLEM.ANALYSIS: INSPECTION BY ODI ENGINEER REVEALED A MISSING NUT AND COTTER PIN WHICH..." 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
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: GENERAL MOTORS HAS SUBMITED ONE FIELD REPORT PERTAINING TO A CUSTOMER OWNED VEHICLE WITH PROBLEM.ANALYSIS: INSPECTION BY ODI ENGINEER REVEALED A MISSING NUT AND COTTER PIN WHICH HOLDS THE TIE ROD END TO THE STEERING KNUCKLE. THE HEX NUT APPARENTLY HAD NEVER BEEN INSTALLED. OWNER HAD DRIVEN VEHICLE ONE DAY (LESS THAN 50 MILES) SINCE TAKING DELIVERY. G.M.'S ONE FIELD REPORT STATED THAT THE TIE ROD CAME APART DURING TEST DRIVE AND THE TIE ROD NUT WAS ALSO MISSING. IT WOULD APPEAR THESE ARE TWO ISOLATED INCIDENTS.PROPOSED ACTION: CLOSE THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.===
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.