Sterling preliminary evaluation PE11007
Haldex Brake Chamber Spring Failures. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the chamber on 1 model year (2007). Opened Mar 29, 2011, closed Sep 23, 2011 after 6 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedODI opened this preliminary evaluation based on a fleet report that it had experienced multiple wheel-end fires. The fleet believed this was due to the power spring fracturing and subsequently puncturing the diaphragm resulting in an air loss causing the brakes to drag. A vehicle driver suffered smoke inhalation during one of the fires suspected to have been caused by the alleged defect. Another injury was sustained by a mechanic when he attempted to remove the brake chamber with a broken power spring. The brake chamber sprung from its mounting bracket and struck the mechanic in the face, causing multiple lacerations. Brake chambers have a limited life span and are subject to wear out. However, the failures identified by the fleet are much earlier than expected and may not exhibit discernible failure symptoms. ODI initiated testing at the Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) to determine the cause of the spring failure and to better understand any warning signs that may be present. VRTC's testing is ongoing as is Haldex's inspection of failed chambers returned from the fleet. This PE has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA11-011) to further evaluate the cause of the fires and assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequences of 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 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: 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 PE11007 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 PE11007 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 23, 2011 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE11007 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 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.