Hyundai preliminary evaluation PE13033
Brake hydraulic control module failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the control unit/module on 6 model years (2009–2012). Opened Oct 17, 2013, closed Apr 4, 2014 after 6 months. It led to safety recall 13V489000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn October 28, 2013, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the braking system of approximately 43,500 model year (MY) 2009 through 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedans (NHTSA Recall No. 13V-489).The Hyundai report indicates that the recalled vehicles may contain brake fluid that does not sufficiently inhibit corrosion on the zinc plating of control valve armatures in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) module. The DIR indicated that, over time, the build-up of corrosion products may affect operation of HECU control valves, resulting in a low/soft brake pedal with reduced brake effectiveness, which may increase the risk of a crash. In October 2011, the HECU supplier notified Hyundai that the brake fluid used in production plants was causing corrosion of valve armatures in the control module. The supplier changed the coating of the valve armatures in late March 2012 to correct the problem in production vehicles. Hyundai's recall includes Genesis vehicles produced prior to the implementation of the HECU change. In March 2013, Hyundai initiated a Service Campaign (TL6) to replace brake fluid in the subject vehicles with brake fluid with better corrosion resistance properties. According to Hyundai's DIR letter, after PE13-033 was opened, the company noted that some of the vehicles serviced in the TL6 campaign subsequently required HECU replacement. This was an indication that internal corrosion had progressed enough to affect valve operation and brake performance, prompting Hyundai to conduct a safety recall. Hyundai's repair procedures for 13V-489 require brake system flushing and replacement in all recalled vehicles with a new fluid containing the necessary corrosion inhibitor. In addition, for vehicles produced prior to June 1, 2010, dealers will perform an inspection procedure to verify that the HECU is functioning properly and replace units that do not meet the test requirements. Hyundai indicated that, based on analysis of claim data, only vehicles produced prior to June 1, 2010 have been in service long enough to require the additional inspection/replacement of the HECU. Analysis of failure data reported to NHTSA and provided by Hyundai in response to ODI's information request letter for PE13-033 identified 756 complaints and 1,683 warranty claims for 30,114 subject vehicles produced prior to June 1, 2010, resulting in a complaint rate of 25.1 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV) and a claim rate of 5.6 percent. The MY 2009 vehicles, with the longest exposure times, experienced the highest complaint (33.5 IPTV) and warranty (7.0 percent) rates. For the 45,639 subject vehicles produced after June 1, 2010, ODI identified 13 complaints and 34 warranty claims, resulting in a complaint rate of 0.3 IPTV and a warranty claim rate of 0.1 percent, indicating that the brake fluid corrosion concern had not progressed far enough to result in significant rates of brake system performance symptoms in those vehicles. This investigation is closed. ODI will continue to monitor complaints to evaluate the effectiveness of Hyundai's recall. The VOQs noted in the Failure Report are: 10569231, 10560898, 10560495, 10559360, 10558279, 10558264, 10556964, 10556631, 10556577, 10556322, 10554988, 10554802, 10554122, 10552958, 10551817, 10551157, 10551110, 10551092, 10550791, 10550773, 10550431, 10549750, 10549634, 10549629, 10549567, 10549402, 10549376, 10549270, 10549228, 10549186, 10549021, 10548903, 10548823, 10548791, 10548737, 10548722, 10548716, 10548705, 10546565, 10544803, 10543663, 10542962, 10541959, 10541741, 10538208, 10537934, 10536652, 105354
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 Hyundai Genesis; 2010 Hyundai Genesis; 2011 Hyundai Genesis; 2012 Hyundai Genesis; 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe; 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
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 PE13033 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 13V489000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE13033 still open?
No. It closed on Apr 4, 2014 and led to recall 13V489000.
Which vehicles does PE13033 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 6 model years: 2009 Hyundai Genesis, 2010 Hyundai Genesis, 2011 Hyundai Genesis, 2012 Hyundai Genesis, 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.