Investigations
WHEEL SEPARATION FROM VEHICLE
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE97033 - closed, opened 1997-07-14.
NHTSA investigation PE97033 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1997-07-14 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1997-12-24 - 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 PE97033 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: "IN ADDITION TO THE A FAILURE REPORT TABULATIONS GIVEN ABOVE, THE MANUFACTURER REPORTED THAT AN ADDITIONAL 33 OWNER AND FIELD REPORTS HAVE BEEN FILED WHICH REFER TO PROBLEMS (LUG NOT TORQUE LOSS, LUG BOLT FRACTURE) THAT D..." 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
IN ADDITION TO THE A FAILURE REPORT TABULATIONS GIVEN ABOVE, THE MANUFACTURER REPORTED THAT AN ADDITIONAL 33 OWNER AND FIELD REPORTS HAVE BEEN FILED WHICH REFER TO PROBLEMS (LUG NOT TORQUE LOSS, LUG BOLT FRACTURE) THAT DID NOT INVOLVE ACTUAL WHEEL SEPARATION, BUT WHICH MAY BE POTENTIALLY RELEVANT EVENTS. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO REPORTED THAT A TOTAL OF 815 WARRANTY CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED FOR REPAIRS POTENTIALLY RELATED TO THE MATTER BY PURCHASING THE VEHICLES BACK FROM OWNERS AS A "GOODWILL" MEASURE. THE WHEEL SEPARATIONS CITED IN THIS PE INCLUDE MANY WHICH OCCURRED WITH THE VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN; IN THESE CASES SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE ITSELF ALMOST ALWAYS RESULTED FROM COLLAPSE OF THE SUSPENSION . THE CRASH INCIDENTS CITED IN THE TABULATIONS ABOVE ARE LIMITED TO THOSE INCIDENTS IN WHICH DAMAGE WAS ALSO SUSTAINED BY A SECOND VEHICLE OR A FIXED OBJECT. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT PROBLEMS OF LUG NOT TORQUE RETENTION HAD BEEN EXPERIENCED DURING VEHICLE FINAL ASSEMBLY, AND FAILURE ANALYSES INDICATE THAT LUG NUT TORQUE LOSS COULD RESULT IN FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE LUG BOLTS. THERE ARE ALSO INDICATIONS THAT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THE LUG NUTS MAY BE UNUSUALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO OVER-TORQUING, RESULTING IN PLASTIC DEFORMATION OF THE LUG BOLTS WHICH IN TURN, COULD LEAD TO FATIGUE FAILURE. DUE TO THE OPEN ISSUES AND QUESTION RAISED BY THE PE, THIS MATTER HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS.
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.