NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA01-009: SECTOR SHAFT FRACTURES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA01-009 on March 2, 2001, the day it closed Service Query SQ00-018, which this investigation's summary cites, and closed it on August 19, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists 5 Ford models for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA01-009 (also written EA01009)
- Investigation type
- Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
- Status
- Closed August 19, 2003
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Components
- Steering — Gear Box — Shaft Pitman; Steering — Gear Box — Shaft Sector
- Vehicles and equipment
- 5 Ford models, including the F-250 SD and F-350 SD
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 Engineering Analysis EA01-009.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
THIS EA WAS OPENED BASED ON A RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST (IR) SUBMITTED DURING SQ00-018.
FORD STATED IN AN INTERNAL SERVICE MESSAGE THAT IT HAD CHANGED THE STEERING GEAR SECTOR SHAFTS AND PITMAN ARMS INSTALLED 1999 MODEL YEAR F-SERIES SUPER DUTY VEHICLES ON MARCH 22, 1999.
FORD STATED THAT THESE DESIGN CHANGES WERE IMPLEMENTED TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN VEHICLE STEERING AND HANDLING, AND THAT VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE REPORTED FRACTURED SECTOR SHAFTS WERE THE RESULT OF EXTRAORDINARY, POSSIBLY MULTIPLE, IMPACTS.AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS CLOSING REPORT IS ATTACHED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA01-009. 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.
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 EA01-009
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.