Ford preliminary evaluation PE14028
Door Latch Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the latch on 3 model years (2011–2013). Opened Sep 11, 2014, closed Mar 18, 2015 after 6 months. It led to safety recall 20E010000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn September 11, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE14-028) to investigate claims of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta vehicles. ODI has received 207 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with sixty-five claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion. Two injuries were reported, both caused by a rebounding door striking a consumer after they attempted to close it. In response to ODI's Information Request (IR), Ford Motor Company (Ford) responded with 451 unique reports related to the alleged defect. One claim involved an incident in which property damage incurred after a door opened while driving at low speed and struck another vehicle. Ford also submitted 1,079 warranty claims related to door latch failures. Additionally Ford informed ODI in its IR response that MY 2013 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles utilize the same door latch as the MY 2011-13 Fiesta. In it's response, Ford stated that it does not believe that a latched door experiencing this condition will inadvertently unlatch and that there are many overt warning associated with a door that does not latch. ODI noted that the rate of occurrence for this failure is comparable to other door latch failure investigations and questions the effectiveness of warning signals given the number of complainants alleging that the door(s) opened while the vehicle was in motion. Therefore, ODI is upgrading this investigation to an Engineering Analysis (EA15-002) in order to further investigate the scope, frequency and consequence of this failure. ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.gov/complaints under the identification (ODI) numbers listed in the attached document.
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: 2011 Ford Fiesta; 2012 Ford Fiesta; 2013 Ford Fiesta.
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 PE14028 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 20E010000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE14028 still open?
No. It closed on Mar 18, 2015 and led to recall 20E010000.
Which vehicles does PE14028 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2012 Ford Fiesta, 2013 Ford Fiesta. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.