Ford preliminary evaluation PE11015
Battery Cable Corrosion. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the cables on 4 model years (2004–2007). Opened Apr 26, 2011, closed Sep 29, 2011 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 11V470000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn April 4th 2011, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE11-015) to investigate allegations of complete loss of electrical system accessories in certain Wheeled Coach ambulances. These vehicles are used in emergency response operations, and first responders are dependent on its reliability especially during life-saving situations. Allegations of electrical system failure received by ODI include, but are not limited to, lights, sirens, and life-support equipment. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 400 amp fuse buss/relay (commonly known as a remote battery terminal) that is a central conduit for electrical power distribution to the patient cab area as well as other mission critical equipment. It was determined by the manufacturer that the failure mechanism involves the Ford O.E.M. secondary remote battery terminal. According to the manufacturer, the corrosion of the secondary remote battery terminal is due to road salt and other caustic deicing agents used as a road surface treatment in the Northeast regions. The calcium chloride in de-icing agents deteriorates the copper compounds found in the 400-amp fuse buss resulting in an electrical short circuit. This short circuit can cause failure of critical systems in the vehicle constituting a safety defect. On September 8, 2011, Wheeled Coach Industries submitted a Part 573 defect notice indicating it would conduct a safety recall to remedy approximately 725 affected ambulances (MY 2004-2010) operating in the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and the District of Columbia. This investigation is closed with a safety recall 11V-470. NHTSA will continue to monitor the recalled vehicles to ensure the remedy implemented by Wheeled Coach is adequate. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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: 2004 Ford E-350 VAN; 2005 Ford E-350 VAN; 2006 Ford E-350 VAN; 2007 Ford E-350 VAN.
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 PE11015 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V470000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11015 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 29, 2011 and led to recall 11V470000.
Which vehicles does PE11015 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 4 model years: 2004 Ford E-350 VAN, 2005 Ford E-350 VAN, 2006 Ford E-350 VAN, 2007 Ford E-350 VAN. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.