MCI preliminary evaluation PE20001
Supply and return heater hose rupture. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the hoses/lines/piping/fittings on 4 model years (2017–2020). Opened Mar 13, 2020, closed Sep 21, 2020 after 6 months. It led to safety recall 20V526000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedBy letter dated August 31, 2020, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of a safety defect that may exist in certain model year (MY) 2017-2020 J4500 vehicles. An ODI review of Early Warning Reporting (EWR) submissions by MCI, on MY 2017-2019 J4500 buses, identified ruptured heater hoses on multiple motor coaches leading to the vehicles becoming disabled. ODI communications with fleets found that a low coolant level light with an audible warning would provide notice to the bus driver to pull off the roadway before the bus shut down to prevent catastrophic engine damage. According to the fleets interviewed, there is not sufficient time between the warning and the engine shutting down to allow the driver to pull to a safe location. Multiple reports/interviews describe buses requiring passenger transfer to a second bus at roadside. Analysis of data provided by MCI in response to an ODI Information Request (IR) letter showed an elevated frequency of heater hose ruptures. The heater hoses may fail, resulting in a low coolant warning followed by an engine shut down sequence, as well as the potential for engine coolant spilling on the roadway. Following discussions with ODI about the elevated failure rates on the heater hoses, MCI decided to conduct safety recall 20V-526. With recall action 20V-526 taken by MCI, this investigation is closed. Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist on other model or MY vehicles outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID Using the following identification number: 10168841
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: 2017 MCI J4500; 2018 MCI J4500; 2019 MCI J4500; 2020 MCI J4500.
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 PE20001 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 20V526000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE20001 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 21, 2020 and led to recall 20V526000.
Which vehicles does PE20001 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 4 model years: 2017 MCI J4500, 2018 MCI J4500, 2019 MCI J4500, 2020 MCI J4500. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.