Chrysler and Dodge preliminary evaluation PE12016
Engine stall. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the engine on 3 model years (2011). Opened Jun 18, 2012, closed Oct 15, 2012 after 4 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedDuring PE12-016, Chrysler identified a condition in model year (MY) 2011 Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines that may result in engine stall when stopped or travelling at very low speeds. According to Chrysler, this condition occurs when the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) initiates a purge monitor check while the engine is at idle which can result in an overly rich vapor condition and cause the engine to stall while stopped. Chrysler developed a software countermeasure to address the condition and has initiated a customer satisfaction campaign to reprogram the PCM on all affected vehicles. The bulletin was sent to dealers on September 28, 2012 and the owner letter mailing began on October 5, 2012. See the investigative file for copies of Chrysler's bulletin and owner letter. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaints related to engine stall that were provided by Chrysler or submitted to ODI from consumers. The predominant failure mode identified involved stalling when stopped or travelling at low speeds. The complaint counts shown in this resume include incidents in which enough detail was available to verify the symptoms were related to the defect condition identified by Chrysler. Two complaints alleged engine stall resulting in collisions, one involving very minor damage and one involving a single vehicle road departure crash in which the vehicle was totalled. In the first incident, the vehicle stalled while stopped at an intersection and rolled back into a following vehicle resulting in a minor scratch in the rear bumper. In the second incident, the vehicle was totalled from damage sustained from striking a tree after failing to negotiate a sharp turn in wet road conditions. The police report does not include any references to stalling as a cause or contributor, but cites excessive speed entering the turn. Although there was evidence or prior history with stalling when stopped, there is no evidence that engine stall was a factor in the crash. The condition that is causing the majority of stalling incidents in the subject vehicles occurs at a stop or very low speed and allows the vehicle to be restarted immediately. The condition represents a low risk to motor vehicle safety and is adequately addressed by Chrysler's service campaign. This preliminary evaluation 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.):10458865, 10458713, 10456385, 10456270, 10452622, 10452327, 10451870, 10451243, 10450745, 10450609, 10449370, 10448136, 10446374, 10443383, 10428753, 10463086, 10463085, 10462966, 10462908, 10462901, 10462851, 10462772, 10462720, 10462702, 10462691.
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 Chrysler 200; 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible; 2011 Dodge Avenger.
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 PE12016 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 PE12016 still open?
No. It closed on Oct 15, 2012 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE12016 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2011 Chrysler 200, 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible, 2011 Dodge Avenger. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.