Mazda preliminary evaluation PE13015
Door Latch Failures Due to Loose Screws. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the latch on 1 model year (2009). Opened May 9, 2013, closed Sep 30, 2013 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 13V425000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on reports that the doors were failing to properly latch on model year (MY) 2009 Mazda6 vehicles. Complainants alleged that the door would fail to latch, or would not properly latch. ODI received a total of 9 complaints alleging this condition primarily on the front side doors, however any of the four side doors could be affected. In response to ODI's Information Request, Mazda provided 56 consumer complaints related to the alleged problem, and 329 warranty claims. On September 23, 2013, Mazda notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall on model year 2009-2013 Mazda6 vehicles built from February 4, 2008 through August 24, 2012. This period covers the start of production of the MY 2009 Mazda6 through the end of production for the 2013 model year and totals a population of approximately 161,400 vehicles. Mazda determined that the door latch mounting screws may become loose due to lack of torque during manufacturing and/or unevenness of the door shell in the latch mounting area. If all three door latch mounting screws become loose, the door latch mechanism may not engage, potentially resulting in the doors opening while the vehicle is in motion. To remedy the condition, a thread locking adhesive will be applied to the latch screws on all side doors, and the screws will be tightened to the specified torque. This investigation is closed on the basis of Mazda's announcement of safety recall 13V-425. ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10406174, 10448036, 10492403, 10503682, 10508051, 10515258, 10521830, 10535228, 10544489.
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 themAlso named: 2009 Mazda MAZDA6.
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 PE13015 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 13V425000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE13015 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 30, 2013 and led to recall 13V425000.
Which vehicles does PE13015 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2009 Mazda MAZDA6. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.