Nissan preliminary evaluation PE11020
Brake Master Cylinder Internal Leak. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the master cylinder on 2 model years (2007–2008). Opened May 23, 2011, closed Mar 14, 2012 after 10 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE11-020 to investigate possible brake performance loss due to brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder into the brake booster in the subject vehicles. A total of 237 complaints were identified by ODI and Nissan. The majority of complaints and warranty claims reported that brake malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illumination as the only symptom of a problem. Only 12 complaints alleged any effect on brake performance and in each of these the drivers were able to stop the vehicles without incident. No crash claims could be attributed to the alleged defect. Returned part analysis data provided by Nissan showed that most of the master cylinders replaced under warranty did not have a leak condition. These replacements may have resulted from brake MIL illumination due to pad wear. For most of the warranty claims, in a few cases where a master cylinder leak was found, Nissan's testing showed that the leaks were extremely slow and would require thousands of miles or months of driving before brake performance could be affected. After an extensive study of replaced master cylinders for a presumed leak, Nissan was unable to identify any concern with the parts or design of the subject components that could affect brake performance. Nevertheless, Nissan does recognize a concern with premature brake MIL illumination and has decided to address this problem by conducting a voluntary service campaign covering approximately 1.17 million model year 2007 through 2012 Altima vehicles (up to June 25, 2011 production, the date of Nissan's running change for the longer life brake pad).Nissan's owner letter for the service campaign states, As your brake pads wear over time, the brake fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir will drop and may cause the brake warning lamp to illuminate.?Although this is a normal condition, there has been concern that the brake warning light illumination may be caused by a slow fluid leak over time. Nissan's service campaign will inspect the brake pads and test the master cylinder for leakage. If leakage is detected, Nissan will replace the master cylinder at no charge. If excessive pad wear is observed, customers will be notified and will be responsible for repairs. For more details concerning Nissan's service campaign, see the PE11-020 file on www. Safercar.gov. Based on the low failure rate for confirmed master cylinder leakage in the subject vehicles and the low probability that the condition would affect brake performance, this 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 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 Nissan Altima; 2008 Nissan Altima.
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 PE11020 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 PE11020 still open?
No. It closed on Mar 14, 2012 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE11020 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2007 Nissan Altima, 2008 Nissan Altima. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.