Ford and Mercury preliminary evaluation PE11003
Wheel Stud Fracture. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the lugs/nuts/bolts/studs on 2 model years (2010). Opened Jan 21, 2011, closed Jul 26, 2011 after 6 months. It led to safety recall 11V574000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn January 21, 2011, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE11-003) to investigate alleged wheel stud fractures in certain model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles. ODI sent the manufacturer an information request letter dated February 8, 2011 and Ford responded by letter dated March 25, 2011. Ford provided a supplemental response by letter dated July 15, 2011. To date, ODI is aware of 29 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles, which now include certain MY2010 Mercury Milan vehicles that are the same or substantially similar to the subject Ford Fusion vehicles in regards to the alleged defect. In total, ODI is aware of 4 reported wheel separation incidents related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. The manufacturer's investigation into the root cause of the alleged defect is ongoing. Accordingly, this investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA11-009) to further study the alleged defect.
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: 2010 Ford Fusion; 2010 Mercury Milan.
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 PE11003 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V574000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11003 still open?
No. It closed on Jul 26, 2011 and led to recall 11V574000.
Which vehicles does PE11003 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2010 Ford Fusion, 2010 Mercury Milan. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.