Investigations
STEERING SHAFT SEPARATIONS
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE95052 - closed, opened 1995-10-25.
NHTSA investigation PE95052 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1995-10-25 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1996-03-22 - 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 PE95052 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: "ODI OPENED THIS PE ON NOVEMBER 13, 1995 BASED ON AN OWNER COMPLAINT CONCERNING A SEPTEMBER 1995 ACCIDENT INVOLVING A 1995 1/2 TON GM PICKUP TRUCK. THE VEHICLE OWNER ALLEGED THE BOLT USED TO JOIN THE 2-PIECE STEERING SHAF..." 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
ODI OPENED THIS PE ON NOVEMBER 13, 1995 BASED ON AN OWNER COMPLAINT CONCERNING A SEPTEMBER 1995 ACCIDENT INVOLVING A 1995 1/2 TON GM PICKUP TRUCK. THE VEHICLE OWNER ALLEGED THE BOLT USED TO JOIN THE 2-PIECE STEERING SHAFT WAS MISSING. THE SHAFTS THEN SEPARATED AND STEERING CONTROL WAS LOST. DURING THE COURSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION, ODI HAS GATHERED INFORMATION FROM STAFF AT THE FOLLOWING: AUTO COLLISION INSURANCE COMPANIES, THIRD-PARTY PRODUCTS LIABILITY INDUSTRY, INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS, INVOLVED VEHICLE OPERATORS, GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION. ACCORDING TO GM, "THE STEERING COLUMN AND SHAFTS WERE CHANGED FOR THE 1995 C/K MODELS AT THE START OF THE 1995 MODEL YEAR. THE CHANGE WAS MADE TO INCORPORATE DRIVER AIR BAG SYSTEMS FOR THE C/K10/20 WITH GVWR OF LESS THAN 8500 LBS. HOWEVER THE CHANGE WAS MADE FOR ALL C/KS. FOR THE 1995 MODEL YEAR, THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT WAS CONNECTED TO THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WITH A BOLT THROUGH THE COLUMN SHAFT AND THE UNIVERSAL JOINT COUPLING. NO NUT WAS REQUIRED. THIS CONNECTION WAS MADE AT THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY FACILITY AND THE STEERING COLUMN IS SHIPPED TO THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PLANT. THIS JOINT IS LOCATED INSIDE THE VEHICLE CAB. THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS CONNECTED TO THE LOWER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT ASSEMBLY IS ALSO CONNECTED TO THE STEERING GEAR AT THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PLANT. THE CONFIGURATION OF THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS CHANGED AT THE START OF THE 1996 MODEL YEAR, WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF 1996 STEERING COLUMNS PULLED AHEAD IN THE 1995 MODELS ASSEMBLED AT THE OSHAWA AND FT. WAYNE ASSEMBLY PLANTS. THE UNIVERSAL JOINT OF THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS REPLACED WITH A POT JOINT. THIS CHANGE WAS MADE TO UTILIZE A JOINT MANUFACTURED INTERNALLY INSTEAD OF EXTERNALLY SUPPLIED UNIVERSAL JOINT. THE POT JOINT STYLE CONNECTION TO THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT WAS MADE WITH A THROUGH BOLT AND NUT. THIS CHANGE WAS EFFECTIVE FOR 1995 VEHICLES ASSEMBLED AT FT. WAYNE AND OSHAWA IN OCTOBER 1995 AND FOR ALL 1996 VEHICLES. ODI'S ANALY
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.