Pierce equipment query EQ11003
Williams Controls Accelerator Pedals. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this equipment query about the accelerator pedal on 35 model years (1999–2008). Opened May 12, 2011, closed Jul 19, 2011 after 2 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn April 26, 2011, Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. (Pierce) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain Pierce fire trucks, manufactured between June 22, 1999, and May 12, 2008, contain a safety related defect. Pierce stated that certain model year 1999 through 2008 Arrow XT, Dash, Lance, and Enforcer vehicles contain a Williams Controls, Inc. (Williams Controls) suspended electronic accelerator pedal that may become bent after repeated use with excessive force. If the pedal arm bends far enough, the pedal may contact the cab floor without warning and stick in the full throttle position. If the accelerator pedal becomes stuck, the operator may lose control of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash. This issue was assigned recall number 11V-255. On May 12, 2011, RMD mailed an information request (IR) letter to Williams Controls requesting a list of customers who purchased the same or similar defective accelerator pedals. Williams Controls responded to RMD's IR letter on June 9, 2011 with a list those companies who purchased the same accelerator pedal. The list was submitted to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel under a request for confidentiality. Williams Controls' response letter outlined several key points. First, it was noted that these pedals, item number 131507, are generic parts that are purchased by engineering staffs in accordance with their own specifications. According to Williams Controls, Pierce modified their purchased pedals post-purchase and this modification reduced the strength of the accelerator pedal assembly. Also, Williams Controls stated that it has, never had a warranty claim or other notice, other than by Pierce on their modified pedal, due to lever arm permanent deformation for item number 131507. While Williams Controls submitted a list of companies that purchased item number 131507, it noted that it did not sell the same or similar defective pedal assemblies to any company as the subject pedals were modified by Pierce. This Equipment Query is satisfied as, because of modifications not conducted by the pedal manufacturer, the same or similar pedals were not sold to other vehicle manufacturers and no other vehicles should be affected. However, RMD will continue to monitor recall activity to see if any similar issues are found in other manufacturers' vehicles. This EQ 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 closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2003 Pierce Arrow XT; 2004 Pierce Arrow XT; 2005 Pierce Arrow XT; 2006 Pierce Arrow XT; 2007 Pierce Arrow XT; 2008 Pierce Arrow XT; 1999 Pierce Dash; 2000 Pierce Dash; 2001 Pierce Dash; 2002 Pierce Dash; 2003 Pierce Dash; 2004 Pierce Dash; 2005 Pierce Dash; 2006 Pierce Dash; 2007 Pierce Dash; 2008 Pierce Dash; 2000 Pierce Enforcer; 2001 Pierce Enforcer; 2002 Pierce Enforcer; 2003 Pierce Enforcer; 2004 Pierce Enforcer; 2005 Pierce Enforcer; 2006 Pierce Enforcer; 2007 Pierce Enforcer; 2008 Pierce Enforcer; 1999 Pierce Lance; 2000 Pierce Lance; 2001 Pierce Lance; 2002 Pierce Lance; 2003 Pierce Lance; 2004 Pierce Lance; 2005 Pierce Lance; 2006 Pierce Lance; 2007 Pierce Lance; 2008 Pierce Lance.
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 EQ11003 a recall?
No. A equipment 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 EQ11003 still open?
No. It closed on Jul 19, 2011 without a recall.
Which vehicles does EQ11003 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 35 model years: 2003 Pierce Arrow XT, 2004 Pierce Arrow XT, 2005 Pierce Arrow XT, 2006 Pierce Arrow XT, 2007 Pierce Arrow XT, 2008 Pierce Arrow XT 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.