Toyota preliminary evaluation PE10008
Steering Wander or Drift. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the steering on 4 model years (2009–2010). Opened Feb 18, 2010, closed May 4, 2011 after 14 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn February 18, 2010, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE10-008 to investigate complaints of steering wander or drift in model year (MY) 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla and Matrix vehicles. The complaint descriptions indicated dissatisfaction with the on-center steering feel in the subject vehicles. Some drivers (~25%) related the feel to driving in a strong crosswind and others indicated that the effort and attention required to maintain heading increased driver fatigue on long trips. These complaints all relate to the system operating as designed and do not involve failure of any steering system components. The subject vehicles are equipped with an electronic power steering system that was introduced in the MY 2009 vehicles. The power assist, including on-center steering feel, is controlled electronically and is part of the system calibration. Toyota responded to steering feel concerns from some customers by issuing a technical service bulletin (TSB-0140-10 STEERING ON-CENTER FEEL) that released an optional EPS electronic control unit that has a re-calibrated on-center feel. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted by the circumstances. For further details see the attached VRTC and ODI Closing Reports.
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 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: 2009 Toyota Corolla; 2010 Toyota Corolla; 2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix; 2010 Toyota Corolla Matrix.
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 PE10008 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation 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 PE10008 still open?
No. It closed on May 4, 2011 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE10008 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 4 model years: 2009 Toyota Corolla, 2010 Toyota Corolla, 2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix, 2010 Toyota Corolla Matrix. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.