Pierce preliminary evaluation PE15008
Front suspension ball joint failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the lower ball joint on 10 model years (2004–2013). Opened Feb 27, 2015, closed Nov 20, 2015 after 9 months. It led to safety recall 15V615000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn February 27th 2015, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-008 to investigate front steer wheel separations on 2004 model year Pierce fire trucks (manufactured with TAK-4 independent front suspensions ) caused byball joint failures. The investigation was based on one steering related consumer complaint, three media reports alleging front steer wheel separation incidents, and a service bulletin outlining the maintenance requirements for the ball joints used in the TAK4 suspension. The consumer complaint (ODI #10671053), received on January 8th 2015, alleged a 2007 Pierce TAK-4 equipped fire truck was not steering correctly. The three media reports of Pierce TAK-4 equipped fire trucks that experienced front steer wheel separation events included two in Baltimore, MD (July and August 2014) and a third in Anne Arundel County, MD (December 2014).The technical service bulletin (#355 issued 12/15/2014) was intended to be a reminder for subject vehicle owners to inspect their TAK-4 suspension and ball joints pursuant to Pierce?s published maintenance schedule. The bulletin outlined how improperly maintained subject ball joints could wear or become damaged during normal use and then potentially separate. A diagram of the TAK-4 front suspension (Figure 1) illustrates the location of both ball-joint assemblies on the suspension that connect the wheel spindles to the A-arm assemblies.(Continued on page 2)
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: 2004 Pierce Arrow XT; 2005 Pierce Arrow XT; 2006 Pierce Arrow XT; 2007 Pierce Arrow XT; 2008 Pierce Arrow XT; 2009 Pierce Arrow XT; 2010 Pierce Arrow XT; 2011 Pierce Arrow XT; 2012 Pierce Arrow XT; 2013 Pierce Arrow XT.
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 PE15008 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 15V615000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE15008 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 20, 2015 and led to recall 15V615000.
Which vehicles does PE15008 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 10 model years: 2004 Pierce Arrow XT, 2005 Pierce Arrow XT, 2006 Pierce Arrow XT, 2007 Pierce Arrow XT, 2008 Pierce Arrow XT, 2009 Pierce Arrow XT and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.