Investigations
ALLEGED FIRES IN STEERING COLUMN AREA
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE97007 - closed, opened 1997-01-31.
NHTSA investigation PE97007 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1997-01-31 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1997-04-07 - 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 PE97007 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 APPARENT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS THE ACCUMULATION OF BRASS POWDER, THAT WEARS OFF THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS INSIDE THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH. THIS POWDER COLLECTS IN SMALL TRAILS OF GREASE THAT TRACK FROM ONE CONTACT TO A..." 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 APPARENT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS THE ACCUMULATION OF BRASS POWDER, THAT WEARS OFF THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS INSIDE THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH. THIS POWDER COLLECTS IN SMALL TRAILS OF GREASE THAT TRACK FROM ONE CONTACT TO ANOTHER. WHEN THE CONCENTRATION OF BRASS IN THE GREASE GETS HIGH ENOUGH, IT CAN CAUSE A HIGH RESISTANCE SHORT. THIS SHORT, IN TURN CAN IGNITE THE GREASE AND CAUSE SMOKE TO BE EMITTED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE GREASE USED INSIDE THE SWITCH, AS WELL AS THE VARIOUS PLASTIC COMPONENTS IN THE COLUMN, ARE FIRE RETARDANT AND WILL NOT BURN WITHOUT A SUSTAINED HEAT SOURCE. THERE HAS BEEN ONLY A SINGLE VERIFIED INCIDENT THAT RESULTED IN A VEHICLE FIRE AND THIS REPORTED FIRE WAS SMALL, INVOLVING SOME CHARRING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. ALL OTHER VERIFIED INCIDENTS WERE LIMITED TO SMOKE FROM THE COLUMN AND MINOR INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE STEERING COLUMN.
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.