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NHTSA safety investigation

NHTSA Investigation PE05054

Preliminary Evaluation · Ford Motor Company · SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

An investigation is not a finding that a defect exists.

NHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.

Model years namedModel years in our database that NHTSA associated with this inquiry. Being named in an investigation says nothing about whether an individual vehicle has any problem.
4
2 models
Opened
Sep 27, 2005
Preliminary Evaluation
Closed
Jan 24, 2006
No associated recall recorded

What NHTSA is examining

The agency's own description of the inquiry, quoted as published

REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE

THE OFFICE OF DEFECT INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED PRELIMINARY EVALUATION, PE05-054, BASED ON 131 VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRES RELATED TO ALLEGED REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURES.SINCE OPENING THE INVESTIGATION THERE HAVE BEEN AN ADDITIONAL SIXTY-THREE (63) COMPLAINTS ALLEGING REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE.AN ANALYSIS OF THE VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRES (VOQS) SUBMITTED TO ODI REVEALS THAT 42% OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGE THAT THE ADJACENT TIRE WAS PUNCTURED AS RESULT OF A REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE. ADDITIONALLY, AN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED BY ODI FROM FORD REVEALS THE FOLLOWING: THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 553 UNIQUE VEHICLE COMPLAINTS OF COIL SPRING FRACTURE. 30% OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT THE REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURE RESULTED IN THE ADJACENT TIRE BEING PUNCTURED. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-002) IS BEING OPENED TO FURTHER EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF THE REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURES AS RELATED TO TIRE PUNCTURES.

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.

Investigation details

Identifiers, dates and outcome as recorded by NHTSA

Action number
PE05054
Investigation type
Preliminary Evaluation (PE)
Status
Closed
Manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Component
SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
Opened
Sep 27, 2005
Closed
Jan 24, 2006
Associated recall campaign
None recorded

Vehicles named in this investigation

4 model years across 2 models

Being named here means NHTSA included the vehicle in the scope of its inquiry. It is not a statement that these vehicles have a defect.