NHTSA Investigation PE08007

ALLEGED ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WAS OPENED TO INVESTIGATE THREE REPORTS OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.TWO OF THE REPORTS ALLEGED THAT A FIRE OCCURRED WHILE REFUELING.THE THIRDALLEGES A FIRE OCCURRED WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. INFORMATION PROVIDED BY LAMBORGHINI IN RESPONSE TO ODI'SINFORMATION REQUEST LETTER IDENTIFIED FOUR ADDITIONAL ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES INVOLVING THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.FOUR OF THE 7 TOTAL FIRE INCIDENTS REPORTED TO EITHER ODI OR LAMBORGHINI WERE ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED BY RUPTURES OF VARIOUS E-GEAR (HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM) HYDRAULIC FLUID LINES SPRAYING HYDRAULIC FLUID ON HOT EXHAUST COMPONENTS.EACH OF THESE INCIDENTS INVOLVED DIFFERENT E-GEAR HYDRAULIC LINES OR FITTINGS (THERE ARE FIVE HYDRAULIC LINES IN THE E-GEAR SYSTEM) AND A REVIEW OF INCIDENT VEHICLE SERVICE HISTORIES INDICATES THAT PRIOR REPAIRS MAY HAVE BEEN FACTORS IN ALL FOUR OF THESE FIRES. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE TWO INCIDENTS OF FIRE THAT OCCURRED WHILE REFUELING DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY VEHICLE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE FIRES.BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED AND CONSUMER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INCIDENTS, ODI CANNOT CONCLUDE THAT THE FIRES ORIGINATED WITHIN THE VEHICLES AND NOT ON THE GROUND IN THE VICINITY OF THE VEHICLES.LAMBORGHINI'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SEVENTH FIRE IS THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE FUEL RETURN LINE WAS IMPROPERLY RECONNECTED AFTER A FUEL SENDING UNIT REPLACEMENT.SERVICE HISTORY INFORMATION SHOWS THAT THE FIRE OCCURRED 3 DAYS AND 100 MILES AFTER THE SENDING UNIT REPLACEMENT.NO SAFETY RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.

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.