Jeep preliminary evaluation PE11035
Inadvertent Air Bag Deployment. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the air bags on 2 model years (2002–2003). Opened Sep 23, 2011, closed Jan 30, 2012 after 4 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedBased on analysis of Chrysler's response, and including ODI's consumer complaints, ODI has identified 87 reports of air bag inadvertent deployment incidents resulting in 50 alleged injuries. The injuries consists of burn/cuts and bruises to the upper body region. Forty-two (42) of the 87 incidents involved the driver frontal air bag, and the remaining 45 incidents involved both the driver and passenger frontal air bags inadvertently deploying without a crash. These incidents occurred both at vehicle startup or while the vehicle is being operated on the roadway. Some owners noted that the air bag warning light had illuminated, or had intermittently illuminated, and that this occurred just prior to the air bag deployment, while others stated they did not observe any illumination of the air bag light. Inspection of the Occupant Restraint Control (ORC) module conducted by Chrysler indicates that an internal electronic circuit (an ASIC chip) which controls air bag deployment fails due to an electrical over stress (EOS) condition possibly caused by a transient voltage spike. Chrysler is in the process of identifying potential root causes of the component failure and/or a source for the electrical over stress. In addition, Chrysler noted that there have been no reports of inadvertent air bag deployment in vehicles manufactured after a March 19, 2003 production date. However, Chrysler had not identified a component or other change that would explain why the inadvertent deployments ceased. Accordingly, this investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA12-001) to further study the alleged defect and its consequences. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10435710 10429579 10429306 10428411 10407276 10399551 10335637 10283484 10249231 10166706 10055405
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: 2002 Jeep Liberty; 2003 Jeep Liberty.
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 PE11035 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 PE11035 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 30, 2012 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE11035 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2002 Jeep Liberty, 2003 Jeep Liberty. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.