Jeep preliminary evaluation PE15021
False Positive Automated Braking. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the adaptive cruise control on 2 model years (2014–2015). Opened Jun 1, 2015, closed Sep 28, 2016 after 16 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn June 1, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-021 to investigate 9 complaints alleging incidents of unintended braking in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles, including 2 alleging incidents of full ABS braking. ODI expanded the scope to include MY 2015 Grand Cherokee vehicles and identified a total of 176 incidents in complaints provided by FCA or submitted to ODI by consumers. ODI conducted the following work to assess the alleged defect in the subject vehicles:1) evaluated the design of the subject Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system, including the maximum braking authority during automated braking; 2) analyzed the frequency and severity of field incidents of unintended braking; 3) analyzed warranty data for evidence of system faults that may be related to the alleged defect; and 4) reviewed the performance of the subject system in testing conducted as part of NHTSA?s 2014 Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) test program. ODI?s analysis found that the maximum brake activations that can be commanded by the subject system are limited in both braking force and duration. The system is not capable of achieving full ABS braking, as alleged in some complaints, unless driver brake application triggers the Advanced Brake Assist (ABA) mode. Analysis of field data found that unintended braking events occur randomly for a variety of causes and are not driven by any single environmental factor, traffic condition, or vehicle fault. The incidents involve short duration moderate braking events with minimal changes in vehicle speed. None of the incidents resulted in crash or injuries. The subject vehicles performed as well or better than peer vehicles in testing conducted as part of NHTSA?s AEB test program. 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, see the closing resume appendix and the investigation file for PE15-021.
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 Jeep Grand Cherokee; 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
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 PE15021 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 PE15021 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 28, 2016 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE15021 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.