Jeep preliminary evaluation PE15025
Air Bag Clockspring Wiring Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the air bags on 16 model years (2007–2012). Opened Jun 19, 2015, closed Dec 7, 2015 after 6 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn it's response to ODI's PE15-025 Information Request letter, FCA identified 1,703 consumer complaints, field reports and legal claims responsive to the subject defect condition on the subject Wrangler vehicles. Six of these reports alleged an air bag non-deployment in a crash in which either the air bag warning light was allegedly on or came on afterward the crash, one of which also alleged injuries as a result of the non-deployment. FCA also provided data on other make, model and model year vehicles using the same clockspring. Additionally FCA provided 16,955 warranty claims related to the replacement of the air bag clockspring wiring assembly. It should be noted that FCA initiated an Extended Warranty Program on the left hand drive MY 2007 Wrangler in late calendar year 2011.6,777 of these claims are from the MY 2007 left hand drive Wrangler. FCA advises that some of the warranty claims involved clockspring failures that would not affect the air bag operation, for example due to noise, cruise control and/or radio operation issues. Many of these claims involved newer model year subject vehicles. FCA also noted that Wrangler's removable roof and door configuration may make it more susceptible to outdoor water/moisture and dust ingress. ODI investigated the right hand drive Wrangler in calender year 2011 for a similar clockspring issue under PE11-019. That investigation lead to NHTSA Safety Recall 11V258 on right hand drive model year (MY) 2008-2012 Wranglers. FCA redesigned the remedy clockspring to improve its durability and environmental protection and revised the design of the steering wheel to column shroud. Base on the data reviewed, this Preliminary Analysis (PE) is being upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA).The reports cited above are listed in the public investigative file available at SaferCar.gov under this investigation ID.
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: 2007 Jeep Wrangler; 2008 Jeep Wrangler; 2009 Jeep Wrangler; 2010 Jeep Wrangler; 2011 Jeep Wrangler; 2012 Jeep Wrangler; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4; 2009 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR 4X4; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X2; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X2; 2009 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X2; 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4; 2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4; 2009 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4; 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara.
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 PE15025 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 PE15025 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 7, 2015 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE15025 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 16 model years: 2007 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2009 Jeep Wrangler, 2010 Jeep Wrangler, 2011 Jeep Wrangler, 2012 Jeep Wrangler 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.