Pierce preliminary evaluation PE11006
Fuel Tank Straps Fail due to Corrosion. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the fuel system, diesel on 1 model year (2002). Opened Feb 28, 2011, closed Aug 5, 2011 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 11V384000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn February 28th 2011 the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE11-006) on certain Pierce fire trucks for fuel tank straps that fail due to corrosion; allowing the fuel the tank to drop from the vehicle. Pierce determined that some fire trucks may be exposed to winter road de-icing chemicals. Over a period of time the fuel tank straps may corrode. This corrosion will weaken the fuel tank straps causing the strap(s) to fail/fracture and allow the fuel tank to separate from the vehicle. If the tank were to drop on the roadway while the vehicle was in motion, the vehicle may stall and lose power. In addition, other surrounding vehicles, trying to avoid the fire truck and or the loose fuel tank may lose control. The danger of a loose fuel tank, spilling its fuelonto the road is also a concern. If either or both of these conditions were to take place, a crash could occur. Pierce's safety recall (11V-385) is an inspect-and-repair campaign. To reduce the risk of failed tank straps, Pierce is making available to all consumers stainless fuel tank straps upon an inspection of the existing ones. If corrosion is found, Pierce will replace the old corrosion prone fuel straps with new stainless straps. The vehicles included in this safety recall are: certain Arrow XT, Dash, Custom Contender, Lance, Enforcer, Pierce Arrow, Quantum, Saber & Commercial fire apparatus models manufactured between January 2, 1995 and January 21, 2008. This Preliminary Evaluation is closed. See NHTSA recall 11V-385.
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: 2002 Pierce Lance.
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 PE11006 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V384000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11006 still open?
No. It closed on Aug 5, 2011 and led to recall 11V384000.
Which vehicles does PE11006 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2002 Pierce Lance. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.