Ford and Lincoln engineering analysis EA15002
Door Latch Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this engineering analysis about the latch on 8 model years (2011–2013). Opened Feb 27, 2015, closed Nov 13, 2015 after 9 months. It led to safety recall 15V246000, 20E010000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta, MY 2013 Ford Fusion and MY 2013 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. All of the affected vehicles share the same door latch design. ODI has received 281 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 100 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion. There were no crashes reported however three separate injuries were indicated, all caused by a rebounding door striking a consumer after they attempted to close it. In response to ODI's Information Request (IR) letter, Ford Motor Company (Ford) responded with 1,102 unique reports related to the alleged problem. There were no injury claims but there were two claims of low speed accidents occurring involving the door opening while driving and damaging property. Ford also submitted 10,883 warranty claims related to door latch failures. Many customers indicated that the door would not latch at all and accordingly they decided to restrain the door by other means (looping the seatbelt through the door, or using rope or tape) in order to drive the vehicle. Some customers also reported multiple door latch failures occurring on the same vehicle on different doors occurring months apart. On April 23rd, 2015 Ford notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall (15V-246) to remedy door latches failures on certain MY 2011-2014 Ford Fiesta and MY 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. According to Ford, the pawl spring tab located within the door latch can break off, or separate and result in a ?door will not close condition. The recalled vehicles include Fiesta vehiclesmanufactured from the start of the MY 2011 to May 2013 and Fusion and MKZ vehicles manufactured from the start of the MY 2013 year until May 2013. In May 2013 Ford reports that it made a manufacturing quality control change, specific to the spring tab, to improve the performance of the existing part. The door latch spring tab was redesigned and the new latch was phased into production in December 2014 with a new part number. Ford will replace all four door latches on the affected vehicles with the new latch design currently in production. The recall action initiated by the manufacturer appears to address the safety risks of concern to ODI. Accordingly, the investigation is closed. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the identification (ODI) numbers found in the attached list.
A Engineering Analysis is the deeper stage, usually upgraded from a Preliminary Evaluation: NHTSA tests, requests engineering documents and decides whether a safety defect exists. 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 became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2011 Ford Fiesta; 2012 Ford Fiesta; 2013 Ford Fiesta; 2013 Ford Fusion; 2013 Ford Fusion Energi; 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid; 2013 Lincoln MKZ; 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
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 EA15002 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 15V246000, 20E010000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is EA15002 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 13, 2015 and led to recall 15V246000, 20E010000.
Which vehicles does EA15002 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 8 model years: 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2012 Ford Fiesta, 2013 Ford Fiesta, 2013 Ford Fusion, 2013 Ford Fusion Energi, 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid 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.