Jeep preliminary evaluation PE11019
Airbag Clockspring Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the air bags on 12 model years (2007–2008). Opened May 23, 2011, closed Nov 7, 2011 after 6 months. It led to safety recall 11V528000, 13V176000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn its July 29, 2011 response to ODI's May 27, 2011 information request letter, Chrysler provided 153 MY 2007-2008 owner reports, additional to the 28 ODI Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs), which related to the illumination of the air bag light (ABL) due to a faulty clockspring (CS) wiring circuit. The right hand drive (RHD) vehicles, which were first produced in MY 2008 and account for only 1% of vehicle production, accounted for 82 of these 181 reports (45%).The MY2007 left hand drive (LHD) vehicle accounted for 61 of the remaining 92 LHD reports and exhibited a higher complaint rate than the MY 2008 LHD vehicles. ODI did not identify any incidents of crashes/injuries attributable to the CS circuit failure. Since May 27, 2011, ODI has received another 32 consumer complaints bringing the total to 213 reports at this closing. In addition, and for comparative purposes, Chrysler provided another 42 owner reports it received on the MY2006 and MY2009-2010 Wrangler vehicles; these populations showed a lower incident rate than the subject vehicles, especially in comparison to the RHD subject vehicles. Chrysler's investigation showed that the higher rate of RHD Wrangler CS failures were due to a more severe duty cycle for these vehicles which are primarily used by US Postal workers/mail carriers delivering mail in rural regions. Chrysler concluded the unique vehicle usage, much of which occurs with the driver's window open and under dusty environmental conditions, is the cause of premature CS failure. Chrysler's analysis also indicated that the somewhat elevated MY2007 LHD rate, which showed a declining failure trend, was the result of start-up production/assembly issues that occurred with the introduction of a new design CS. The new design CS incorporated both dual airbag inflator circuitry and a steering wheel angle sensor (for the electronic stability control system).On November 1, 2011, Chrysler submitted a defect notice indicating it will conduct a recall of all MY 2008-2012 RHD Wrangler vehicles (11V528).The estimated 5,334 RHD Wrangler vehicles include the 2,297 MY 2008 RHD Wrangler vehicles, which were the subject of this investigation, plus an additional 3,037 MY 2009-2012 RHD Wrangler vehicles that Chrysler determined potentially have a similar CS concern as the MY 2008 RHD vehicles. Chrysler intends to replace the existing CS with a yet-to-be-produced improved CS assembly, or an improved steering housing assembly that is less susceptible to dusty environments. Owner notice is scheduled to begin in November, 2011. Chrysler also informed ODI that it intends to initiate a consumer satisfaction campaign for MY2007 LHD Wrangler which will extend the CS warranty coverage for 10 years or 150,000 miles. Accordingly the investigation is closed.
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: 2007 Jeep Wrangler; 2008 Jeep Wrangler; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4 RHD; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4 RHD; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X2; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X2; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4; 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara; 2007 Jeep Wrangler X RHD 4X4.
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 PE11019 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V528000, 13V176000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11019 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 7, 2011 and led to recall 11V528000, 13V176000.
Which vehicles does PE11019 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 12 model years: 2007 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2007 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4, 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4, 2007 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4 RHD, 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4 RHD and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.