Toyota preliminary evaluation PE14001
Brake Actuator malfunction. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the reservoir/tank on 5 model years (2007–2011). Opened Jan 23, 2014, closed Aug 22, 2014 after 7 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn June 25, 2014, Toyota initiated a Warranty Enhancement Program (ZE1) to extend warranty coverage for the brake actuator assembly and skid control ECU/brake pedal stroke sensor in certain MY 2007 to 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid vehicles. Toyota's program covers repairs related to two conditions:internal malfunctions of the Brake Actuator assembly; and overly sensitive monitoring logic for the Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor. Primary coverage provides warranty enhancement until November 30, 2015, with no mileage limitation. After the primary coverage period ends, secondary coverage is provided for 10 years or 150,000 miles from the date of first use, whichever occurs first. In addition, on July 10, 2014, Toyota initiated Limited Service Campaign E0U to replace the Brake Reservoir Tank in MY 2007 through 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid vehicles. The LSC will be available until June 30, 2017, and will only be available at an authorized Toyota dealer. ODI's analysis of failure data determined that the majority of records were related to the Brake Actuator condition, which appeared to be the causal component in 734 complaints/field reports and 864 warranty claims. The Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor (80 reports/189 claims) and Brake Reservoir Tank (91 reports/44 claims) conditions were identified in far fewer records. Analysis of the failure data indicate that each condition provides warning prior to any reduction in power assisted braking, with less than 10 percent of all reports and claims involving diagnostic codes or complaint narratives indicating increased braking effort or reduced brake effectiveness. In addition, most of the incidents in which reduced braking assist appears to have occurred involved operation in a reduced assist mode and not a sudden, complete loss of power assisted braking. ODI assessed reduced assist mode in a subjective driving evaluation which indicated that the brake system provided normal and harddeceleration capability with reasonable increases in pedal effort. Less than one percent of reports and claims analyzed by ODI included evidence indicating a complete loss of power assisted braking occurred and this mode requires operation for a significant period of time with multiple audible and visual warnings. Repair expense was cited in many of the complaints reviewed by ODI, especially those related to the Brake Actuator, which had repair costs exceeding $3,000 according to some complaints. High repair cost appears to have been a factor in the only crash identified by ODI for the fault conditions identified by Toyota, which involved a Brake Actuator failure that was diagnosed but the owner declined repair approximately eight months prior to the reported crash incident. This preliminary evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety-related defect does not exist. For additional information regarding this investigation, including analysis of the Brake Actuator, Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor, and Brake Reservoir Tank fault conditions and failure experience, see Attachment A to this closing resume.
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: 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid; 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid; 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid; 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid; 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid.
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 PE14001 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 PE14001 still open?
No. It closed on Aug 22, 2014 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE14001 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 5 model years: 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.