Freightliner preliminary evaluation PE09040
RACK AND PINION FAILURE. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the rack and pinion on 31 model years (2005–2010). Opened Aug 31, 2009, closed Nov 19, 2009 after 3 months. It led to safety recall 09V357000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedA CONSUMER COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE AGENCY ON AUGUST 22, 2009, BY AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR LEASING A 2009 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE COMPLAINT ALLEGES THAT IN APRIL OF 2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES HE EXPERIENCED A SEAL RUPTURE IN THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY. A NEW SEAL WAS INSTALLED AND AT 56,000 MILES HE FOUND HIS RIGHT STEER TIRE COMPLETELY BALD. THE REPAIR SHOP IDENTIFIED AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE RAPID WEAR OF THE TIRE. ODI HAS IDENTIFIED EWR FIELD REPORTS RELATED TO FAILED RACK AND PINIONS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THE REPORTS IDENTIFY EITHER AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY THAT RESULTED IN CRASHES OR A LOOSENESS OF THE INNER TIE ROD END OF THE RACK AND PINION RESULTING IN A POOR ALIGNMENT AND PREMATURE TIRE WEAR. INFORMATION RECEIVED DURING THIS INVESTIGATION FROM FREIGHTLINER DETAILED FAILURES OF THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLIES ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THESE FAILURES WERE THE RESULT OF THE LEFT HAND INNER TIE ROD END BECOMING LOOSE OVER TIME. WHEN THE TIE ROD BECOMES LOOSE, IT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY AND MAKE THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO STEER. FRIEGHTLINER HAS CONCLUDED THAT A DEFECT RELATED TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY DOES EXIST ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND HAS INITIATED A SAFETY RECALL (09V-357) THAT WILL REMEDY ALL OF THEM. THIS RECALL INVOLVES REMOVING THE TIE ROD AND ADDING A COMPOUND TO IT THAT WILL PREVENT THE TIE ROD FROM COMING LOOSE OVER TIME. A COPY OF THE RECALL IS ATTACHED. FREIGHTLINER'S ACTION RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION AND, THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the 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 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: 2005 Freightliner Cascadia; 2006 Freightliner Cascadia; 2007 Freightliner Cascadia; 2008 Freightliner Cascadia; 2009 Freightliner Cascadia; 2010 Freightliner Cascadia; 2005 Freightliner Century; 2006 Freightliner Century; 2007 Freightliner Century; 2008 Freightliner Century; 2009 Freightliner Century; 2010 Freightliner Century; 2005 Freightliner Century Class; 2006 Freightliner Century Class; 2007 Freightliner Century Class; 2008 Freightliner Century Class; 2009 Freightliner Century Class; 2010 Freightliner Century Class; 2006 Freightliner Century Class S/T; 2007 Freightliner Century Class S/T; 2008 Freightliner Century Class S/T; 2005 Freightliner Century ST; 2006 Freightliner Century ST; 2007 Freightliner Century ST; 2008 Freightliner Century ST; 2005 Freightliner Columbia; 2006 Freightliner Columbia; 2007 Freightliner Columbia; 2008 Freightliner Columbia; 2009 Freightliner Columbia; 2010 Freightliner Columbia.
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 PE09040 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 09V357000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE09040 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 19, 2009 and led to recall 09V357000.
Which vehicles does PE09040 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 31 model years: 2005 Freightliner Cascadia, 2006 Freightliner Cascadia, 2007 Freightliner Cascadia, 2008 Freightliner Cascadia, 2009 Freightliner Cascadia, 2010 Freightliner Cascadia 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.