American Caterpillar and Caterpillar preliminary evaluation PE11008
Caterpillar C7 Hose Leak. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the diesel. Opened Mar 29, 2011, closed Jan 30, 2012 after 10 months. It led to safety recall 11E051000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received 1 fleet complaint (involving 8 incidents on 6 vehicles) alleging that the Clean Gas Induction (CGI) coolant lines on affected vehicles had developed leaks resulting in a vehicle stall. Caterpillar conducted system testing and determined that coolant in the subject engines may become increasingly acidic over time, which may result in damage to the inner walls of the coolant hoses. In at least four (4) cases this has resulted in stranded school buses due to coolant loss. Caterpillar (CAT) submitted a recall notice on December 2, 2011. CAT's announcement of a safety recall on this matter addresses ODI's concerns. Coolant will be checked and changed more frequently to prevent in-field pH degradation and coolant hoses damaged from this issue will be replaced under warranty. The subject vehicles have been recalled, therefore this investigation is closed. The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) number: 10446420
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 resumes carrying the full reasoning are linked below.
The paperwork NHTSA filed
Source: every document on this action, at nhtsa.gov- Opening resume — ODI’s own summary of why it opened this — the subject, what prompted it, and the vehicles in scope.
- Closing resume — ODI’s own summary of why it closed this, and what it concluded.
| Document | Code | Filed | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening resume | INOA | 2011 | |
| Closing resume | INCLA | 2011 | |
| Information request to the manufacturer | INIM | 2011 | |
| Manufacturer's response — data | INRD | 2011 | |
| Manufacturer's response — full submission | INRL | 2011 | |
| Memo to the investigation file | INME | 2011 |
These are NHTSA’s own files, served from the agency’s site — the resumes are what ODI wrote when it opened and closed the action, and the rest is the correspondence behind them, including what the manufacturer sent when the agency asked. They are linked, not copied: where a document names the people who wrote in, that redaction is the agency’s to make and its copy is the one you should read.
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 themNHTSA filed this action against Caterpillar, Inc. without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE11008 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11E051000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11008 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 30, 2012 and led to recall 11E051000.
Which vehicles does PE11008 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Caterpillar, Inc. without naming a model year.