Investigations
INSTRUMENT PANEL FIRES
NHTSA Recall Query RQ06006 - closed, opened 2006-05-05.
NHTSA investigation RQ06006 is a Recall Query opened on 2006-05-05 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2006-08-28 - 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 RQ06006 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: "THIS INVESTIGATION ORIGINATED FROM COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE AGENCY REPORTING INSTRUMENT PANEL (IP) FIRES ON VEHICLES THAT WERE RECALLED (RECALL 03V528) BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER (DCC) TO CORRECT A DEFECT THAT CAUSED IP FIRES...." 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 ORIGINATED FROM COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE AGENCY REPORTING INSTRUMENT PANEL (IP) FIRES ON VEHICLES THAT WERE RECALLED (RECALL 03V528) BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER (DCC) TO CORRECT A DEFECT THAT CAUSED IP FIRES. THE RECALL CORRECTED A DEFECT CAUSED BY A CERTAIN CAPACITOR ON THE IP PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) THAT COULD CRACK AND OVERHEAT. THE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED OR IN USE. THE RECALL REMEDY WAS TO REMOVE THE CAPACITOR FROM THE IP. IPS USED FOR VEHICLES PRODUCED AFTER THE RECALL (DECEMBER 2003) DID NOT CONTAIN THE CAPACITOR. ODI HAS ALSO RECEIVED REPORTS OF FIRES IN VEHICLES PRODUCED AFTER THE RECALL, WHICH DO NOT HAVE THE DEFECTIVE CAPACITOR. DCC AND ITS SUPPLIER FOR THE IP HAVE IDENTIFIED A DIFFERENT LOCATION ON THE PCB THAT MAY OVERHEAT. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-015) TO FURTHER STUDY THIS ISSUE.
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.