Isuzu preliminary evaluation PE14024
Loss of brake warning lights. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the electrical system on 1 model year (2013). Opened Jul 22, 2014, closed Jan 12, 2015 after 6 months. It led to safety recall 14V735000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn July 22, 2014, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to investigate field reports describing the loss of brake lights in model year (MY) 2013 Isuzu N-series trucks. During the course of this investigation, Isuzu informed ODI that the subject vehicle population consisted of multiple vehicle configurations including a walk-in step van. According to Isuzu, the reported brake lamp failures are associated with a brake lamp switch located near the steering column on these walk-in style vans. Isuzu believes the brake lamp switches in the walk-in vans are susceptible to weather and/or driver foot contact resulting from its open configuration and the drivers seating position. In more severe circumstances, interference with the brake switch can lead to corrosion and/or brake lamp failure. The contact and/or bending of the brake switch can interfere with the electrical contact points. Bending of the brake switch can also result in the plunger sticking or breaking. Either condition can result in a loss of brake warning lamp operation. Based on a warranty analysis conducted by Isuzu, 3,564 N-Series walk-in vans built during (MY) 2012 through 2014 are included in recall 14V-735. The recalled population of vehicles includes the 2,156 walk-in vans subject of this investigations. Based on ODI's review of Isuzu's analysis of warranty claims data,ODI believes that Isuzu has properly identified the population of vehicles at an unreasonable risk of experiencing a brake lamp failure. With the recall action taken by Isuzu, this investigation is closed as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on N-series vehicles outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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 Isuzu N-Series.
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 PE14024 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 14V735000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE14024 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 12, 2015 and led to recall 14V735000.
Which vehicles does PE14024 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2013 Isuzu N-Series. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.