Mazda preliminary evaluation PE11026
Brake master cylinder leak. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the master cylinder on 1 model year (2008). Opened Aug 9, 2011, closed Apr 9, 2012 after 8 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE11-026 to investigate possible brake performance loss due to brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder into the brake booster in model year (MY) 2008 Mazda CX-9 vehicles. In response to ODI's information request letter, Mazda identified a problem with the manufacturing process for the master cylinder primary plunger that could result in inappropriate surface finish. ODI's analysis of complaints and field reports determined that the problem was isolated to several months late in the production of the MY 2008 CX-9 vehicles. Mazda indicated that changes to the plunger machining and inspection processes were incorporated late in MY 2008 vehicle production (June 25, 2008).There are no confirmed failures related to the condition in subsequent production. The subject master cylinder was used by Mazda in MY 2007 through MY 2011 CX-9 vehicles (approximately 132,000 vehicles) with no other significant problems related to master cylinder leakage. ODI's analysis identified a total of 248 complaints and field reports potentially related to the subject condition in MY 2008 CX-9 vehicles. The majority of the records reported that brake malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illumination was the only symptom of a problem, with only 4% (9 reports) alleging any symptoms related to brake pedal feel or effectiveness. ODI identified no crash claims related to the alleged defect. In addition, analysis of this data showed a declining trend with 90 percent of the incidents reported before January 2011. Based on the extremely slow leak rate associated with the alleged defect, the declining failure trend and the low probability that the condition would affect brake performance, this investigation is closed. The ODI reports cited above can be viewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers (ODI Nos.): 10442322, 10419837, 10449109
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: 2008 Mazda CX-9.
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 PE11026 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 PE11026 still open?
No. It closed on Apr 9, 2012 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE11026 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2008 Mazda CX-9. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.