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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA02-023: FRONT SUSP COLLAPSE/WHEEL SEPARATION

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA02-023 on September 9, 2002 and closed it on February 19, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2000–2002 Ford Focus for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA02-023 (also written EA02023)
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 February 19, 2003
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Components
Suspension — Front; Suspension — Front — Control Arm; Suspension — Front — Control Arm — Lower Arm; Suspension — Front — Control Arm — Lower Ball Joint
Vehicles and equipment
2000–2002 Ford Focus

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 EA02-023.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

SEE ATTACHED REPORT.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA02-023. 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

All Ford recalls

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 EA02-023

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.