Ford and Lincoln preliminary evaluation PE16001
Door Latch Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the latch on 25 model years (2012–2016). Opened Jan 16, 2016, closed Oct 29, 2016 after 9 months. It led to safety recall 16V643000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion. One consumer alleged an injury that occurred while driving when a door inadvertently opened and then closed on a child's arm. Another alleged that a door that inadvertently opened struck a parked vehicle. In response to ODI's information request, Ford Motor Company (Ford) provided 500 unique reports related to the alleged problem on the subject vehicles. Ford reported no injury or accident claims. Ford also submitted 1,513 warranty claims related to door latch failures. Many customers indicated that the affected door could not be latched at all and some of them decided to restrain the door by other means in order to operate the vehicle. Some customers also reported door latch failures occurring on multiple doors and at different times. Additionally, Ford stated that MY 2014-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape, 2013-2015 Ford C-Max, 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect, 2015 Ford Mustang, and 2015 Lincoln MKC, all use the same door latch as the 2012-2013 Ford Focus. On September 6, 2016, Ford notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall (16V-643) to remedy the door latches in the MY 2012-2015 Ford Focus and other Ford models mentioned above (total of approximately 2 million vehicles).According to Ford, a component within the door latch may break preventing the door from latching. Ford dealers will replace all four door latches in the recalled vehicles with a new more robust latch design that is currently in production. The recall action initiated by the manufacturer appears to address the safety risks. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID 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 on model years this site has no page for: 2013 Ford C-MAX; 2014 Ford C-MAX; 2015 Ford C-MAX; 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi; 2014 Ford C-MAX Energi; 2015 Ford C-MAX Energi; 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid; 2015 Ford C-MAX Hybrid; 2013 Ford Escape; 2014 Ford Escape; 2015 Ford Escape; 2013 Ford Escape Hybrid; 2012 Ford Focus; 2013 Ford Focus; 2014 Ford Focus; 2015 Ford Focus; 2012 Ford Focus Electric; 2013 Ford Focus Electric; 2014 Ford Focus Electric; 2015 Ford Focus Electric; 2015 Ford Mustang; 2014 Ford Transit Connect; 2015 Ford Transit Connect; 2015 Lincoln MKC.
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 PE16001 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 16V643000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE16001 still open?
No. It closed on Oct 29, 2016 and led to recall 16V643000.
Which vehicles does PE16001 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 25 model years: 2016 Ford Transit Connect, 2013 Ford C-MAX, 2014 Ford C-MAX, 2015 Ford C-MAX, 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi, 2014 Ford C-MAX Energi 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.