Ford, Dodge and 8 others audit query AQ10001
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this audit query about the unknown or other on 52 model years (2000–2010). Opened Nov 18, 2010, closed Dec 28, 2015 after 5.1 years without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns. It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways. RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls. Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent. The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls. The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above. In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls. With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.
A Audit Query is an audit of the manufacturer's own reporting obligations — early-warning data, recall notices, remedy — rather than of a vehicle condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one is closed. A audit query ends with NHTSA’s finding on the recall it examined — the remedy stands, is widened, or a new campaign follows; the file names the recall it concerned and NHTSA’s closing resume carries the reasoning.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2009 Buick Enclave; 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt; 2009 Chevrolet Malibu; 2009 Chevrolet Traverse; 2005 Chrysler Pacifica; 2006 Chrysler Pacifica; 2007 Chrysler Sebring; 2008 Chrysler Sebring; 2005 Chrysler Town AND Country; 2006 Chrysler Town AND Country; 2007 Dodge Avenger; 2008 Dodge Avenger; 2005 Dodge Caravan; 2006 Dodge Caravan; 2005 Dodge Durango; 2006 Dodge Durango; 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan; 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan; 2007 Dodge Nitro; 2001 Ford Escape; 2002 Ford Escape; 2003 Ford Escape; 2004 Ford Escape; 2005 Ford Escape; 2010 Ford Explorer; 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac; 2000 Ford Focus; 2001 Ford Focus; 2002 Ford Focus; 2003 Ford Focus; 2004 Ford Focus; 2005 Ford Focus; 2010 Ford Fusion; 2005 Ford Mustang; 2006 Ford Mustang; 2007 Ford Mustang; 2008 Ford Mustang; 2009 GMC Acadia; 2006 Jeep Commander; 2007 Jeep Commander; 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee; 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee; 2006 Jeep Liberty; 2007 Jeep Liberty; 2007 Jeep Wrangler; 2010 Mercury Milan; 2010 Mercury Mountaineer; 2009 Pontiac G5; 2009 Pontiac G6; 2009 Pontiac Vibe; 2010 Pontiac Vibe; 2009 Saturn Aura.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs AQ10001 a recall?
No. A audit query is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is AQ10001 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 28, 2015 without a recall.
Which vehicles does AQ10001 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 52 model years: 2009 Buick Enclave, 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, 2005 Chrysler Pacifica, 2006 Chrysler Pacifica and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.