Sterling preliminary evaluation PE11002
Fuel Leak. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the fuel system, diesel on 3 model years (2005–2007). Opened Jan 11, 2011, closed Mar 17, 2011 after 2 months. It led to safety recall 11V136000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedODI gathered information from four auto hauler fleets during its investigation. At least five of the fleets' vehicles were damaged or completely destroyed by a fire caused by a leak in low pressure fuel line. The fleets reported numerous other failures that spilled large quantities of diesel fuel on roadways and disabled tractor trailers. Daimler Trucks North America submitteda recall notice on 24 February 2011. Daimler's announcement of a safety recall on this matter addresses ODI's concerns. The 573 letter was received prior to the due date of the IR response, therefore Daimler has been relieved from having to submit an IR response. Daimler will replace the upper and lower low pressure fuel lines with a more robust line. The exact remedy and replacement parts are not yet finalized. Daimler will be submitting a supplemental report when the information is available. ODI will closely monitor the remedy to ensure it is adequate. The subject vehicles have been recalled, 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 Sterling L-Line; 2006 Sterling L-Line; 2007 Sterling L-Line.
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 PE11002 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V136000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11002 still open?
No. It closed on Mar 17, 2011 and led to recall 11V136000.
Which vehicles does PE11002 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2005 Sterling L-Line, 2006 Sterling L-Line, 2007 Sterling L-Line. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.