John Deere preliminary evaluation PE12006
Turbocharger Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the turbo/supercharger. Opened Mar 14, 2012, closed Aug 17, 2012 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 12E026000, 12V447000, 12V466000, 12V469000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects (ODI) received a Product Improvement Program (10RG264) from John Deere in January 2011 concerning failed turbochargers on transit buses. This Product Improvement Program (PIP) was exclusive to their 8.1L compressed natural gas (CNG) engine. However, the PIP only covers transit busses in the state of California. John Deere indicated that in the event of a failure, the entire turbocharger was to be replaced as part of the repair. The ODI contacted consumers (supplied by the manufacture as complainants) and most described a condition that once the turbo failed, the vehicle became stranded. One consumer detailed a failure where the cab started to fill up with smoke while the vehicle was stalled, subsequently the turbo was on fire. The fire was eventually extinguished however the vehicle was stranded and needed to be towed. On June 11, 2012 ODI received John Deere's response to an ODI Information Request (IR) letter. From the responsive information it was determined that the risk of turbo fires as related to stalling/abandonment warranted an equipment safety recall. John Deere made ODI aware of 265 complaints and 22 possible vehicle fires for a population of approximately 3,500 vehicles. ODI notes that John Deere had not determined the exact number of affected vehicles, or a specific recall remedy at the closing of this investigation. However all vehicles (not just the vehicles located in California.) similarly configured and within the scope of this investigation will be recalled. This investigation is closed with John Deer's announcement of a safety recall. The Product Improvement Program cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/tsbs/ under the following NHTSA Item Number: 10034925. Updates on the recalled vehicle population and defect remedy can be viewed in the manufacture's 573 document online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm under the following NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 12V056 (use the Document Search button to locate the 573 document).
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 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 themNHTSA filed this action against John Deere without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE12006 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 12E026000, 12V447000, 12V466000, 12V469000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE12006 still open?
No. It closed on Aug 17, 2012 and led to recall 12E026000, 12V447000, 12V466000, 12V469000.
Which vehicles does PE12006 cover?
NHTSA filed it against John Deere without naming a model year.