Hyundai and Kia preliminary evaluation PE13025
Front Axle Shaft Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the axle shaft on 2 model years (2013–2014). Opened Jul 5, 2013, closed Sep 20, 2013 after 3 months. It led to safety recall 13V355000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn a letter dated August 9, 2013, Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc. (Hyundai-Kia) submitted two Defect Information Reports (DIR) to NHTSA identifying a safety defect related to fracture of the right front axle shaft in MY 2013 front wheel drive Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vehicles built from July 13, 2012 through March 12, 2013 and MY 2014 front wheel drive Kia Sorento vehicles built from January 7 through March 12, 2013 (Recall Nos. 13V-355 and 13V-356).According to Hyundai-Kia, the right front axle driveshaft may develop a crack in the area of the stub at the wheel end of the shaft due to problems with the stub supplier's forging process for axles installed in vehicles built prior to March 12, 2013. When moving from a stop, the crack can lead to a separation of the shaft, causing a loud noise and loss of motive power. In addition, should the driver fail to engage the parking brake on an inclined surface, the vehicle may roll. In either case, a crash could result. ODI's review of consumer complaints and data submitted by Hyundai-Kia, identified 21 complaints alleging right-front axle shaft failure and 60 warranty claims related to right front axle replacements. All of the vehicles identified in the complaints and warranty claims were manufactured during the vehicle builds periods identified in the DIR. The Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10524563, 10524274, 10508727, and 10505768.
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: 2013 Hyundai Santa FE; 2014 Kia Sorento.
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 PE13025 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 13V355000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE13025 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 20, 2013 and led to recall 13V355000.
Which vehicles does PE13025 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2013 Hyundai Santa FE, 2014 Kia Sorento. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.