NHTSA Investigation PE06030

FUEL TANK LEAKAGE

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED PE06-030 BASED ON THREE COMPLAINTS ALLEGING LARGE QUANTITIES OF GASOLINE LEAKAGE FROM THE FUEL TANKS (NOT FROM THE FILLER PIPES) OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 2006 JAGUAR XJ VEHICLES. ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2006, FORD MOTOR COMPANY SUBMITTED A DEFECT NOTICE (PART 573) TO NHTSA DESCRIBING A DEFECT CONDITION THAT COULD RESULT IN LEAKAGE FROM ONE OR MORE OF THREE SEALED APERTURES ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLIES IN APPROXIMATELY 6,199 MY 2006-2007 JAGUAR XJ VEHICLES BUILT AT THE BROWNS LANE AND CASTLE BROMWICH (UK) ASSEMBLY PLANTS AND SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES AND FEDERALIZED TERRITORIES. ACCORDING TO FORD, ?SOME OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A FUEL TANK THAT WAS NOT MADE TO SPECIFICATION. THIS MAY RESULT IN ILLUMINATION OF THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL), A FUEL ODOR, OR FUEL LEAKING FROM FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM), JET PUMP MODULE (JPM) AND/OR CLUSTER VALVE (CV) SEALS. FUEL LEAKAGE IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR ONLY AFTER A FUEL TANK HAS BEEN FULLY FILLED WITH FUEL.? FORD'S DATA SHOWED A TOTAL OF 52 COMPLAINTS RELATING TO THE DEFECT CONDITION, CONSISTING OF 9 CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS, 27 DEALER FIELD REPORTS OF FUEL LEAKS, 15 TECHNICAL HOTLINE SERVICE REPORTS AND 1 FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER REPORT OF A VISIT TO A CAR DEALERSHIP FOR THE FUEL TANK LEAK CONDITION.IN ADDITION, FORD'S WARRANTY DATA SHOWED 265 CLAIMS ?WHERE LEAKS AND FUEL ODOR WERE REPORTED, OF WHICH 156 [WARRANTY] CLAIMS INCLUDED CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS OF [GASOLINE] LIQUID LEAKS.?THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN CLOSED, AS JAGUAR IS RECALLING THE AFFECTED VEHICLES TO REPLACE THE FUEL TANKS (RECALL 06V-358).

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.