NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA03-007: ENGINE STALL

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA03-007 on May 6, 2003 and closed it on June 18, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists the GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada for it and links recall 04V-289 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA03-007 (also written EA03007)
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 June 18, 2004
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Component
Engine and Engine Cooling
Recall linked by NHTSA
  • 04V-289: GM/ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED AIR SUSPENSION, reported
Vehicles and equipment
GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA03-007.

MODEL YEAR (MY) 2002 BRAVADA AND CERTAIN MY 2002 ENVOY VEHICLES WITH OPTIONAL ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED AIR SUSPENSION (ECAS) MAY BE SUBJECT TO ENGINE STALL CAUSED BY AN ERRANT VOLTAGE SPIKE TRANSMITTED TO THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM).

IN ADDITION TO ENGINE STALL, IF THE SPIKE DAMAGES THE PCM, THE VEHICLE MAY NOT RESTART.ON OCTOBER 31, 2001 GM INTRODUCED INTO PRODUCTION A WIRING HARNESS CONTAINING AN INDUCTOR THAT WAS ADDED TO THE ECAS WIRING TO REDUCE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE VOLTAGE SPIKE.ON DECEMBER 6, 2001 GM INTRODUCED INTO PRODUCTION A MODIFIED PCM WITH PROTECTION FROM ERRANT VOLTAGE SPIKES AND ALSO CEASED USE OF THE WIRING HARNESS WITH THE INDUCTOR.THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION'S (ODI) ANALYSIS VERIFIED THAT VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 31, 2001, HAD THE HIGHEST RATE OF ENGINE STALLING.ODI IS AWARE OF 1,132 COMPLAINTS AND FIELD REPORTS ON THE 37,746 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT PRIOR TO OCTOBER 31, 2001 (2,999 REPORTS/100,000 VEHICLES). THERE IS ONE CRASH AND ONE INJURY RESULTING FROM A STALLING INCIDENT.GM REPORTED 7,859 WARRANTY CLAIMS WITH BUILD DATES BEFORE OCTOBER 31, 2001 (20,820 CLAIMS/100,000 VEHICLES).

BY WAY OF LETTER DATED JUNE 4, 2004, GM NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT HAD DETERMINED THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 31, 2001 CONTAINED A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT AND THAT GM WILL BE CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL OF THOSE VEHICLES.GM WILL RECALL 18,455 MY 2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA'S AND 11,496 MY 2002 GMC ENVOY'S (TOTAL: 29,951).

THE RECALL IS IDENTIFIED BY NHTSA NUMBER 04V-289.

NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL ARE SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT AFTER OCTOBER 31, 2001, AND SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 31, 2001 THAT WERE SERVICED WITH THE JUMPER CABLE OR THE REVISED PCM.GIVEN THAT THE VEHICLES OUTSIDE THE RECALL HAVE REMEDIED, EITHER IN PRODUCTION OR IN SERVICE,FOR THE STALLING CONDITION, ODI HAS CONCLUDED THAT FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF AGENCY RESOURCES IN PURSUING A SAFETY RECALL OF THOSE VEHICLES IS NOT WARRANTED.THIS CONCLUSION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS IN THOSE VEHICLES.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA03-007. 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.

GMC

All GMC recalls

Oldsmobile

  • Oldsmobile Bravada

All Oldsmobile 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.

Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA03-007

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.