Ford preliminary evaluation PE16011
Power Steering Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the electric power assist system on 2 model years (2010). Opened Sep 28, 2016, closed Dec 25, 2017 after 15 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn September 28th, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-011 to investigate claims of power steering assist loss on model year 2010 Ford Fusion vehicles. ODI has received 718 unique claims related to the alleged problem with 598 reports indicating the power steering assist failed while driving at speed with no warning. During the PE16-011 investigation, Ford Motor Company (Ford) provided 1851 unique reports and 1720 warranty claims related to the alleged problem. As the result of investigation PE14-030, Ford previously conducted a recall (15V-340) of the 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and other vehicles using the same electric power assist steering unit to rectify incidents of loss of power steering assist. An analysis of the subject vehicle complaint data indicates an increased likelihood of failure as the vehicles age. The rate of occurrence of this failure is comparable to previous investigations involving loss of power steering assist including the previously mentioned PE14-030. Therefore, the Preliminary Evaluation (PE16-011) has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency and consequence of this failure. ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls#vehicle under the identification (NHTSA ID) 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 resumes carrying the full reasoning are linked below.
The paperwork NHTSA filed
Source: every document on this action, at nhtsa.gov- Opening resume — ODI’s own summary of why it opened this — the subject, what prompted it, and the vehicles in scope.
- Closing resume — ODI’s own summary of why it closed this, and what it concluded.
| Document | Code | Filed | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening resume | INOA | 2016 | |
| Closing resume | INCLA | 2016 | |
| Information request to the manufacturer | INIM | 2016 |
These are NHTSA’s own files, served from the agency’s site — the resumes are what ODI wrote when it opened and closed the action, and the rest is the correspondence behind them, including what the manufacturer sent when the agency asked. They are linked, not copied: where a document names the people who wrote in, that redaction is the agency’s to make and its copy is the one you should read.
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: 2010 Ford Fusion; 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
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 PE16011 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 PE16011 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 25, 2017 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE16011 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2010 Ford Fusion, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.