Investigations
AUTO TRANS IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
NHTSA Recall Query RQ03005 - closed, opened 2003-04-08.
NHTSA investigation RQ03005 is a Recall Query opened on 2003-04-08 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2003-07-16 - 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 Recall Query like RQ03005 evaluates whether a previously issued recall is actually fixing the problem. NHTSA opens an RQ when owners continue to report the original defect after the recall remedy is installed, or when completion rates fall short of the agency's expectations for that risk tier.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "THREE OF THE MANFACTURER COMPLAINTS AND TWO OF THE MANUFACTURER CRASHES REPORTED ABOVE WERE DUPLICATES OF ODI REPORTS. THE MAJORITY OF CRASHES OCCURRED AFTER OPERATORS PARKED THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ENGAGING PARK GEAR POSITI..." 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
THREE OF THE MANFACTURER COMPLAINTS AND TWO OF THE MANUFACTURER CRASHES REPORTED ABOVE WERE DUPLICATES OF ODI REPORTS. THE MAJORITY OF CRASHES OCCURRED AFTER OPERATORS PARKED THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ENGAGING PARK GEAR POSITION; A NON-FUNCTIONAL IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK SYSTEM SUBSEQUENTLY FAILED TO PREVENT KEY REMOVAL BEFORE THE OPERATORS EXITED THE VEHICLE. MOST OF THE CRASHES WERE MINOR AND INVOLVED MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE. FOUR OF THE INJURY INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHEN UNATTENDED CHILDREN MOVED THE GEARSHIFT FROM THE PARK POSITION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ROLL AWAY, ONE INJURY OCCURRED WHEN THE OPERATOR WAS STRUCK BY A ROLL-AWAY VEHICLE AFTER PARKING AND EXITING. ALL INJURIES WERE RELATIVELY MINOR. A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF INTERLOCK SYSTEM FAILURES APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO DISENGAGEMENT OF THE INTERLOCK PIN THAT RIDES IN THE INTERLOCK LEVER SLOT WITHIN THE SHIFT MECHANISM. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS WILL BE OPENED TO FURTHER STUDY INTERLOCK SYSTEM FAILURES.
About This Investigation Type
A Recall Query (RQ) evaluates the effectiveness of a previously issued recall. NHTSA opens an RQ when consumer complaints suggest that a recall remedy may not be adequately addressing the safety issue, or when the recall completion rate appears insufficient.
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.