Ford and Mercury preliminary evaluation PE15028
Loss of headlights. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the exterior lighting on 6 model years (2003–2005). Opened Aug 10, 2015, closed Jan 8, 2016 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 15V861000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation concerning the loss of headlights in model year (MY) 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles. The subject vehicles share the same architecture and major components. ODI has received 636 unique reports (for all submission dates) related to the alleged defect, with owners describing a loss of both low and/or high beam headlights occurring while driving. ODI identified 4 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire ( VOQ) reports alleging minor crash or loss of control incidents due to headlight failures. Drivers alleged running off of the road due to a lack of headlights and one driver reportedly struck a deer. No injuries were indicated in the VOQ crashes. In response to ODI's Information Request (IR) letter, Ford Motor Company (Ford) responded with 4173 unique reports related to the alleged problem. There were a total of 11 crashes reported within that group as well as one injury that occurred when the vehicle struck an unseen object on the side of the road when the headlights failed. Ford also submitted 49,843 warranty claims related to headlight failures. Most reports indicate that the headlights failed without warning leaving the driver with no forward lighting, however some noted the headlights flickered or dimmed prior to turning off. Consumers also noted they were able to hold the flash to pass lever on the steering column mounted stalk to activate the high beams however this is only effective as long as the lever is physically actuated. On December 21st, 2015 Ford notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall (15V-861) to remedy headlight failures on (MY) 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles. According to Ford, the headlights of the vehicle are controlled by the Lighting Control Module (LCM) located in the engine compartment of the vehicle. The LCM uses an internal relay, mounted to a circuit board, to control power to the headlights. The headlight relay is soldered to the circuit board at six different terminals. The original equipment LCMs were manufactured in a manner that resulted in the solder joints fatiguing and/or cracking as a result of repeated thermal cycling and/or vibration, a defect condition. The condition could be exacerbated by manufacturing quality issues such as an insufficient amount of solder, effecting the continuity between the circuit board and the relay terminal, and resulting in loss of headlights while driving. Other lighting functions are unaffected by this condition. The LCM manufacturing processes were revised to address the defect condition and Ford has been conducting a warranty extension program to cover defective LCMs since late 2013. Under the recall Ford will replace any remaining defective LCMs in recalled vehicles with remedy LCMs once they become available. See NHTSA recall 15V-861 for further details on the safety recall. The recall action initiated by Ford addresses the safety risks of concern to ODI. Accordingly, the investigation is closed. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at SaferCar.gov under the identification (ODI) numbers found in the attached list.
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: 2003 Ford Crown Victoria; 2004 Ford Crown Victoria; 2005 Ford Crown Victoria; 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis; 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis; 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis.
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 PE15028 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 15V861000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE15028 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 8, 2016 and led to recall 15V861000.
Which vehicles does PE15028 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 6 model years: 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, 2004 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005 Ford Crown Victoria, 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis, 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis, 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.