Investigations
FACTORY INSTALLED TOWING HITCH SEPARATIO
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE99060 - closed, opened 1999-09-27.
NHTSA investigation PE99060 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1999-09-27 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2000-03-08 - 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 PE99060 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: "THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1999 BASED ON FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING THAT SOME OF THE EIGHT HITCH MOUNTING BOLTS EITHER BECAME LOOSE OR CAME COMPLETELY OUT OF ITS RETAINING PLATE. ONE OF THE COMPLA..." 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
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1999 BASED ON FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING THAT SOME OF THE EIGHT HITCH MOUNTING BOLTS EITHER BECAME LOOSE OR CAME COMPLETELY OUT OF ITS RETAINING PLATE. ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS INDICATED THAT WHILE TOWIG A TRAILER THE HITCH ACTUALLY SEPARATED FROM THE FRAME ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE FOUR MOUNTING BOLTS ON THAT SIDE CAME COMPLETELY OUT. THIS ALLOWED THE HITCH AND TRAILER TO CONTACT THE ROAD SURFACE. IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE AGENCY, FORD PROVIDED INFORMATION REGARDING NINE ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF LOOSE OR MISSING BOLTS, TWO OF THOSE ALLEGING SEPARATION OF THE HITCH ON ONE SIDE. THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF VEHICLE CRSHES, INJURIES, OR A COMPLETE SEPARATION OF A HITCH ASSEMBLY. SCOPE: 1997 THROURGH 2000 MODEL YEAR EXPEDITIONS AND 1998 THROUGH 2000 MODEL YEAR NAVIGATORS BUILT AT MICHIGAN TRUCH ASSEMBLLY PLANT FROM JULY 22,1 996 THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 1999. DEFECT: LOSS OF CLAMPING LOAD OF HITCH ATTACHMENT BOLTS. REMEDY: THE HITCH MOUNTING BOLTS AND NUT PLATES WILL BE REPLACE WITH HIGHER STRENGTH BOLTS AND PLATES. ADDITIONALLY , THE TORQUE VALUE FOR THE MOUNTING BOLTS WILL BE INCREASED AND AN ADHESIVE WILL BE ADDED TO THE BOLTS.
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.