Lotus preliminary evaluation PE11022
Engine Oil Cooler Line Detachment. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the hoses/lines/piping/fittings on 2 model years (2005–2006). Opened Jul 18, 2011, closed Nov 3, 2011 after 4 months. It led to safety recall 11V510000, 13V041000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn October 14, 2011, Lotus Cars USA Inc. notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it will conduct a safety recall (11V-510) to address concerns with engine oil cooler lines detaching from its crimped fitting on MY 2005-2006 Lotus Elise vehicles. In its 573 report to ODI, Lotus indicated that they have identified instances where the oil cooler lines would detach from their fittings. Lotus attributes this condition to a majority of single supplier affected parts built from June 2004 to November 2006. Lotus states that the cause of the failure is an inadequate process by which the hose is crimped into its fitting by the supplier. In October 2006 the supplier implemented an improved crimping process. Reports indicated that this condition can occur while driving or while the vehicle is stationary with the engine running. In cases where the failure occurred while driving, oil would be expelled under pressure and could come into contact with the tires and or brake friction surfaces, potentially causing a loss of braking or vehicle control. One crash and one vehicle fire were also reported with no injuries. Additionally Lotus indicated that the same condition can occur in MY 2005-2006 Exige vehicles as well. These vehicles are also included in the recall. The action taken by Lotus is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. This investigation is therefore 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 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 | |
| Memo granting a response extension | INRE | 2011 | |
| Correspondence | INOT | 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 themAlso named: 2005 Lotus Elise; 2006 Lotus Elise.
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 PE11022 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V510000, 13V041000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE11022 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 3, 2011 and led to recall 11V510000, 13V041000.
Which vehicles does PE11022 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2005 Lotus Elise, 2006 Lotus Elise. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.