Ford preliminary evaluation PE15020
Wheel Separation. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the rim on 1 model year (2014). Opened May 20, 2015, closed Jan 4, 2016 after 8 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn November 29, 2014, ODI received a complaint reporting the complete separation of an original equipment 22-inch alloy wheel rim mounted on the right front position of a model year 2014 Ford Edge vehicle (VOQ 10661278).The driver indicated that the right-front corner of the vehicle suddenly dropped while driving, causing the vehicle to go off the road to the right and into a field. The right-front wheel rim was found to have broken into two pieces. The owner said that there was no prior warning or wheel related problems with the vehicle. The vehicle had been driven approximately 8,500 miles at the time of the incident. On May 29, 2015 ODI sent an information request to Ford asking for detailed information related to the specific 22 inch alloy wheel used on the Edge as well as any peer vehicles which used the same type of wheel. On July 17, 2015 Ford provided ODI with the requested information. Ford's search showed that the single incident reported to ODI is the only instance of a wheel failure on the subject or peer vehicles. The failed wheel was sent to the National Transportation Service Board (NTSB) materials analysis laboratory for examination. The NTSB determined that the wheel failed because of a severe impact that caused a crack that rapidly propagated around the circumference of the wheel, The rim fracture surface had a predominantly rough appearance consistent with an overstress fracture (rapid fracture)There were no abnormalities or unique features associated with the fracture initiation site. Metallurgical analysis of the rim found that the material was within specification and no anomalies were identified that could have contributed to the failure. See the full NTSB report for more details. Based on the absence of additional failures and the results of the wheel material testing and failure analysis, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. The following VOQ is associated with this investigation: 10661278
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: 2014 Ford Edge.
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 PE15020 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 PE15020 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 4, 2016 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE15020 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2014 Ford Edge. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.