Carrier equipment query EQ11002
Carrier A/C Evaporator Fires. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this equipment query about the air conditioner. Opened Feb 17, 2011, closed May 25, 2012 after 15 months. It led to safety recall 11E003000, 11V302000, 11V502000, 11V540000, 11V559000, 11V571000, 11V581000, 12V003000, 12V011000, 12V044000, 12V179000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn January 25, 2011, Carrier Corporation (Carrier) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain GenV EM-1 evaporator assemblies, installed into school buses and shuttle buses, contain a safety related defect. Carrier stated that certain EM-1 evaporators, manufactured between January 2006 and December 2010, contain a Delphi Pack-Con III fuse holder in an Allied Motion motor assembly. Over time, the Delphi fuse holder contacts may relax and possibly produce arcing. If sufficient arcing occurs, the fuse holder may melt, and may be accompanied by flame, smoke and potential fire. This issue was assigned recall number 11E-003. On February 2, 2011, RMD contacted Delphi Corporation (Delphi) via e-mail to learn if it intended to file a Part 573 Report for the Pack-Con III fuse holders that Carrier deemed defective in its Part 573 filing. On February 17, 2011, Delphi responded via e-mail that this particular fuse holder had been in production since 1976 without any field issues reported to Delphi. Delphi stated that it, ...believes the Pack-Con III fuse holder is not defective and that the Pack-Con III fuse holder was misapplied by Carrier. On March 17, 2011, RMD issued an information request (IR) letter to Delphi to formally request a list of purchasers that received these fuse holders. On March 25, 2011 Delphi responded by supplying a list of purchasers to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel under a request for confidentiality. Given the information supplied in Delphi's earlier February 17, 2011 response, RMD chose not to contact the purchasers of these fuse holders during this EQ as no other vehicle or equipment manufacturers have filed similar safety defect decisions with the NHTSA at this time. RMD may, however, contact these fuse holder purchasers in the future should any other safety defect decisions regarding this equipment be filed with the NHTSA. On October 6, 2011, RMD mailed IR letters to 10 purchasers identified in Carrier?s Part 573 filing in order to learn if any vehicles were manufactured with these EM-1 evaporators. Six manufacturers responded by filing Part 573 Reports for vehicles they manufactured and also conducted safety recalls. Three manufacturers, Sonny Merryman Inc., Colonial Equipment Company, and Rivers Bus Sales responded that their evaporators were only installed into used vehicles or retail sold, neither requiring the companies to conduct safety recalls. Pro Air, LLC (Pro Air) responded that it distributed its more than 5,400 units to companies that might manufacture new motor vehicles. After multiple requests, RMD received Pro Air?s purchaser list on November 29, 2011. On December 14, 2011, RMD mailed IR letters to 5 purchasers identified by Pro Air. Three companies responded by filing Part 573 Reports and conducting safety recalls. Two companies, TMC Group and Herr Display Vans, did not respond to RMD?s IR letter or follow-up e-mails requests. These companies will be referred to NHTSA?s Office of the Chief Counsel for further possible enforcement action. In total, 9 manufacturers filed the following Part 573 Reports as a result of this EQ:11V-502 - Collins Bus Corp. 11V-540 ? Molly Corporation 11V-559 ? Double K, Inc. 11V-571 ? Starcraft Bus 11V-581 ? Kingmor Supply, Inc. 12V-003 ? Elkhart Coach 12V-011 ? Forest River, Glaval Bus Div. 12V-044 ? Turtle Top 12V-179 ? Nesco BusThis Equipment Query is closed.
A Equipment Query is a query about a piece of equipment — a component, a tire, a child seat — rather than a whole vehicle. 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 themNHTSA filed this action against Carrier Corporation without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs EQ11002 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11E003000, 11V302000, 11V502000, 11V540000, 11V559000, 11V571000, 11V581000, 12V003000, 12V011000, 12V044000, 12V179000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is EQ11002 still open?
No. It closed on May 25, 2012 and led to recall 11E003000, 11V302000, 11V502000, 11V540000, 11V559000, 11V571000, 11V581000, 12V003000, 12V011000, 12V044000, 12V179000.
Which vehicles does EQ11002 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Carrier Corporation without naming a model year.