NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA02-027: ENGINE STALLING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA02-027 on September 10, 2002 and closed it on April 15, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute for it and links recalls 04V-165 and 04V-175 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA02-027 (also written EA02027)
- 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 April 15, 2004
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- Ford Motor Company; Mazda Motor Corp.
- Component
- Engine and Engine Cooling
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- Vehicles and equipment
- Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA02-027.
FORD'S AND MAZDA'S LETTERS TO NHTSA DATED APRIL 5 AND APRIL 9, 2004, STATE THAT THEY WILL RECALL MODEL YEAR 2001-03 FORD ESCAPE AND MAZDA TRIBUTE VEHICLES WITH THE V6 ENGINE BUILT THRU SEPTEMBER 11, 2002.
DEALERS WILL ADJUST ENGINE CALIBRATION IN THE PROGRAMMABLE CONTROL MODULE (PCM), WHICH IN ITS CURRENT SETTING, CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN IF THE VEHICLE IS DECELERATING AT SPEEDS BELOW 40 MPH. THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN DUE TO EXCESSIVELY RICH AIR-FUEL MIXTURES BEING SENT TO THE ENGINE.WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, DRIVERS MAY NOTICE A LOSS OF POWER ASSIST FOR THEIR STEERING AND BRAKES. THE MAJORITY OF THE COMPLAINANTS HAVE INDICATED TO THE AGENCY THAT THE STALL IS INTERMITTENT AND CAN HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA02-027. 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 recallsMazda
All Mazda recallsWhat 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 EA02-027
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.