Investigations
ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADE FRACTURE
NHTSA Recall Query RQ07002 - closed, opened 2007-09-05.
NHTSA investigation RQ07002 is a Recall Query opened on 2007-09-05 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2008-01-04 - 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 RQ07002 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: "THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON FOUR REPORTS ALLEGING FAILURE OF AN ENGINE COOLING FAN IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THREE OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED THE FAN "DISINTEGRATED" AND T..." 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 OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON FOUR REPORTS ALLEGING FAILURE OF AN ENGINE COOLING FAN IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THREE OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED THE FAN "DISINTEGRATED" AND TWO OF THE THREE ALLEGED THE RADIATOR WAS DAMAGED AS A RESULT. THE FOURTH COMPLAINANT ALLEGED THAT HIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED VIOLENT SHAKING AND OVERHEATING. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, IT WAS NOTED THAT PIECES OF THE FAN WERE MISSING. ALL FOUR VEHICLES WERE CLASS C MOTOR HOMES BUILT ON A VOLKSWAGEN EUROVAN CHASSIS. TWO OF THE VEHICLES ARE "RIALTA" MODELS AND TWO ARE "VISTA" MODELS. BASED ON ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM VOLKSWAGEN ODI IS UPGRADING THIS INVESTIGATION TO ENGINEERING ANALYSIS EA 08-002 FOR FURTHER STUDY.
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.