NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA02-008: WATER INTRUSION INTO AIRBAG MONITOR
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA02-008 on June 10, 2002 and closed it on December 11, 2002. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer for it and links recall 02V-323 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA02-008 (also written EA02008)
- 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 December 11, 2002
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Air Bags
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 02V-323: FORD/INTEGRATED AIR BAG MONITOR CONTAMINATION, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA02-008.
BY LETTER OF DECEMBER 6, 2002, FORD NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WOULD CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL ON ALL 1997 FORD ESCORT AND MERCURY TRACER VEHICLES.FORD FOUND THAT ELECTRICAL SHORTING OF THE INTEGRATED AIR BAG MONITOR (IABM)DUE TO LIQUID INTRUSION OF WATER OR ENGINE COOLANT CAN OCCUR IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.FORD AND LINCOLN MERCURY DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE SHIELD OVER THE IABM AND APPLY NYOGEL GREASE TO IT'S ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR.SEE FORD'S DECEMBER 6, 2002 DEFECT AND NONCOMPLIANCE INFORMATION REPORT FOR DETAILS.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA02-008. 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 Escort
Mercury
Mercury Tracer
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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA02-008
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.