Freightliner preliminary evaluation PE11028
Output shaft failure and separation. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the axle shaft on 3 model years (2011). Opened Aug 29, 2011, closed Nov 22, 2011 after 3 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn August 29th 2011 the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE11-028) on Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) for output shaft failures located in the forward-rear axle carrier of certain class 8 vehicles equipped with Arvin Meritor RT series output shaft assemblies. At the time of this (PE) opening, ODI was aware of a field campaign and two field reports thought to be related to this alleged safety concern. The DTNA campaign address a risk resulting from an incorrect heat treatment process of the output shaft (SF441AB); which was initially believed to be associated with the two field reports. On October 21st 2011 ODI received DTNA's PE Information Request (IR) letter response which indicated no additional complaints or field reports related to the alleged defect. ODI also learned that the two original field reports noted in the opening resume were U-joint failures and were unrelated to the service campaign. DTNA claimed a total of 96 warranty claims, all related to performing the service campaign but unrelated to any field failures. Upon receiving DTNA's PE-IR letter response ODI learned that even if a fracture were to occur in relation to the alleged defect, it would be located at the base of the splined section of the shaft opposite the output yoke and inside the axle housing. The Output shaft assembly is bolted into the axle housing and will remain secure in the event of a fracture. Based on the fact that there are no consumer complaints, injuries or field reports and the benign consequence of the alleged defect, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI will continue to monitor this field campaign.
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: 2011 Freightliner Business Class M2; 2011 Freightliner Columbia; 2011 Freightliner Coronado.
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 PE11028 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 PE11028 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 22, 2011 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE11028 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2011 Freightliner Business Class M2, 2011 Freightliner Columbia, 2011 Freightliner Coronado. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.