NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Defect Petition DP09-004: Engine stalling
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP09-004 on June 4, 2009 and closed it on September 7, 2010. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2004 Ford Freestar for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- DP09-004 (also written DP09004)
- Investigation type
- Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
- Status
- Closed September 7, 2010
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Control Module (TCM/PCM/TECM)
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2004 Ford Freestar
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP09-004.
On May 6, 2009, NHTSA received a request for a hearing through Title 49 of the United States Code, Chapter 301, Motor Vehicle Safety, Part 557. the request was in reference to vehicle owner complaint, 10266067, filed with NHTSA on April 20, 2009, which described a problem with engine stall in a model year (MY) 2004 Ford Freestar minivan due to water entering the PCM.Part 557 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations establishes procedures for holding a hearing to determine whether a manufacturer has reasonably met its obligation to notify owners of a safety related defect.
Because a safety related defect has not been determined regarding the alleged defect in MY 2004 Ford Freestar vehicles, the Office of Defects Investigation interpreted the request as a defect petition under Part 552 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
In response to the Information Request letter sent by ODI for DP09-004, Ford indicated that a variety of symptoms could result from water intrusion into the PCM, including no start, rough idle, engine misfire, transmission performance degradation, lack of transmission engagement, illumination of the check engine light, and engine stall while driving or parked.
Ford stated that it believes that the overall complaint rate for engine stalling is low and comparable to other similar stalling related investigations that the agency has recently closed.
Ford stated that the water entry into the PCM is a customer satisfaction issue.
ODI has granted DP09-004 and opened a Preliminary Evaluation, PE10-033, to further assess the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of the alleged defect.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP09-004. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Ford
Ford Freestar
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Ford VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for DP09-004
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.