Orion preliminary evaluation PE10041
Hydraulic Auxiliary Pump Fitting Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the equipment adaptive/mobility on 6 model years (1995–2003). Opened Oct 20, 2010, closed Nov 9, 2010 after 20 days. It led to safety recall 10V538000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedODI became aware of a fire involving a Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) bus. A WMATA contracted vehicle inspection identified the failure of a tapped hydraulic fitting to have caused the fire. Orion VI buses were built from 1994 to 2002. This investigation is specific to 1995, 1997-2000 production. Daimler Bus informed ODI that 1994 & 1996 model year buses were either prototypes or sold only in Canada; buses built after 2000 had a tee fitting in lieu of the tapped fitting in question. On October 20, 2010 Daimler Bus informed ODI that an internal meeting was planned to discuss the same concern as the one that prompted this investigation. ODI agreed to delay formally requesting information; an IR letter was to be mailed on November 9, 2010 if needed. On November 2, 2010 ODI received a 573 Defect Report (Recall 10V-538) that addresses the concerns of this investigation. This investigation will be closed. There is no associated IR letter. A copy of the defect report is attached.
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: 1995 Orion VI; 1997 Orion VI; 1998 Orion VI; 1999 Orion VI; 2000 Orion VI; 2003 Orion VI.
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 PE10041 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 10V538000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE10041 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 9, 2010 and led to recall 10V538000.
Which vehicles does PE10041 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 6 model years: 1995 Orion VI, 1997 Orion VI, 1998 Orion VI, 1999 Orion VI, 2000 Orion VI, 2003 Orion VI. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.