Saturn preliminary evaluation PE11021
Transmission Cable Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the gear position indication (prndl) on 1 model year (2007). Opened May 20, 2011, closed Nov 22, 2011 after 6 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedGM advised that the shift cable's protective outer conduit (jacket) deteriorates with time and use. Variables that affect jacket life include installation variability (routing, etc), environmental and temperature effects, and material quality. Jacket deterioration could lead to a tear of the conduit material which allows moisture to reach the lay wires, potentially causing them to corrode and weaken. The lay wires provide support to the inner core wire that performs the shift detent actuation of the transmission. Without sufficient lay wire support, the shifter position inside the vehicle and the actual transmission gear selection may not match. A complete loss of shift function can occur when the core wire fractures and fails fully. GM asserts that the problem primarily affects the four-speed equipped subject vehicles, but not the six-speed transmissions, and notes that similar cable installations are used in other model and MY GM vehicles (2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu and 2005-2008 Pontiac G6). In reviewing consumer reports ODI notes multiple failure modes that occur as the cable allegedly fails and shift function is affected. One involves an engine no-start condition where the gear shifter is in the park position but the transmission is actually in drive or reverse gear (engine starting is inhibited in this circumstance).A second involves non-powered vehicle movement where the driver turns the engine off and moves the shifter to park but the transmission fails to engage the park gear; the vehicle may roll away if the driver exits without setting the park brake. A third involves powered vehicle movements, where the driver moves the gearshift but the transmission fails to engage the intended gear, and the engine remains running. For instance the driver can shift to park but the transmission may remain in drive or reverse, resulting in vehicle movement when the driver does not expect it. Or the driver may shift to reverse but the transmission remains in drive, resulting in the vehicle moving in a direction opposite to that the driver intended. Another failure mode results in complete loss of shifting. Both NHTSA and GM have received complaints alleging one or more of these failure scenarios, and in some cases consumers report experiencing multiple problems over the course of several drive cycles. In the crash incident reported to NHTSA (ODI 10383044) the driver reportedly placed the gear shift selector into park but the transmission remained in drive causing the vehicle to unexpectedly move (accelerate) forward and strike a building. In one of the crash incidents reported to GM, the driver placed the shifter in park but the transmission remained in reverse. When the driver exited with the engine running, the vehicle continued (accelerated) in reverse and struck a building. In the injury incident reported to GM, the driver reportedly placed the shifter in park, exited the vehicle, and was struck when the vehicle unexpectedly rolled backwards. ODI is upgrading this investigation to evaluate the frequency of shift cable failure, the consequences, and the scope of vehicles that may be affected, including the models, model years and transmissions types.
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 Saturn Aura.
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 PE11021 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 PE11021 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 22, 2011 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE11021 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2007 Saturn Aura. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.