Ford audit query AQ17001
Champion Ford Edinboro / Steering Shaft. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this audit query about the steering on 1 model year (2015). Opened Jan 4, 2017, closed Jun 15, 2018 after 17 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedNHTSA opened AQ17-001 to determine whether Champion Ford Edinboro, Inc. (Champion Ford), of Edinboro, Pennsylvania, complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations. The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and, in turn, that a dealer not sell a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed (49 U.S.C. ?30120(i)).NHTSA issued an information request (IR) letter to Champion Ford on January 4, 2017. Champion Ford responded to this request on January 19, 2017. Also on January 4, 2017, an IR letter was issued to Ford Motor Company (Ford) and a response was received from Ford on January 25, 2017. Finally, another IR was issued to Champion Ford on May 31, 2017, and Champion Ford's response letter was submitted to NHTSA on June 14, 2017. NHTSA's investigation indicated that Champion Ford did sell and deliver recalled vehicles that did not have the recall remedy completed at the time the vehicles were delivered to the customers. NHTSA therefore concluded that Champion Ford was liable for civil penalties for violations of the Safety Act, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. ?30165. Under a Settlement Agreement dated April 16, 2018, Champion Ford agreed to pay compromised civil penalties in the amount of $20,000. Champion Ford also represented in writing that it repaired all twenty-three (23) recalled vehicles identified in AQ17-001 and will strictly adhere to Ford's procedures requiring dealers to check for outstanding safety recalls prior to customer delivery. NHTSA's Recall Management Division has verified that all twenty-three (23) vehicles have been remedied of the safety recalls identified in AQ17-001. This Audit Query is closed.
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: 2015 Ford F-150.
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 AQ17001 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 AQ17001 still open?
No. It closed on Jun 15, 2018 without a recall.
Which vehicles does AQ17001 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2015 Ford F-150. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.