Chevrolet preliminary evaluation PE10015
Fuel Tank Leak. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the hoses, lines/piping, and fittings on 1 model year (2004). Opened May 12, 2010, closed Sep 10, 2010 after 4 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn its June 30, 2010 response to ODI's Information Request letter, General Motors (GM) identified the leak source as cracks in either the fuel tank cross-over tube quick connector (connector) and/or the hot-plate weld joint of the connector to the tank. The root causes are attributed to errors in connector material processing, variations in the welding process, and high stresses placed on the driver's side connector during vehicle use. GM also identified the scope of the subject vehicles involved to be those produced from approximately October 22, 2003 through March 19, 2004. GM does not believe the cracks represent an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety based on factors that include; low rate of fuel leaking to the ground, detectable fuel odor, the cracks are at the top of the tank, leaks are detectable during refueling, small quantities of fuel that leaks out, and no associated property damage or personal injury claims. On August 13, 2010, GM issued a Special Coverage Adjustment to remedy fuel tank quick connector leaks and extend the warranty for this issue to 10 years or 100,000 miles in certain 2004 Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac XLR vehicles. Vehicle owners will be notified by mail of the adjustment and will also be entitled to reimbursement for previously paid repairs covered under the adjustment.(See file for, SERVICE BULLETIN 10150: SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT-FUEL TANK QUICK CONNECTOR LEAK).The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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: 2004 Chevrolet Corvette.
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 PE10015 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 PE10015 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 10, 2010 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE10015 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2004 Chevrolet Corvette. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.