NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA04-031: POWER LIFTGATE LATCH
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA04-031 on November 22, 2004, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE04-054, whose summary cites it, and closed it on April 7, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Chrysler Town And Country and Dodge Grand Caravan for it and links recall 05V-134 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA04-031 (also written EA04031)
- 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 7, 2005
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Components
- Latches/Locks/Linkages; Latches/Locks/Linkages — Tailgate — Latch
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 05V-134: POWER LIFTGATE CONTROL MODULE, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Chrysler Town And Country and Dodge Grand Caravan
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA04-031.
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AS PE04-054 REGARDING REPORTS OF ALLEGED POWER LIFTGATE (PLG) OPENING WHILE DRIVING.THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED ON NOVEMBER 22, 2004 BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION (DCC) IN ITS SEPTEMBER 17, 2004 RESPONSE TO PE04-054. BY LETTER OF APRIL 5, 2005, DCC HAS NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF 70,235 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2003 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY AND DODGE GRAND CARAVAN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PLG OPTION.DCC HAS IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM IN EARLY PRODUCTION MY 2003 PLG CONTROL MODULES THAT CAN PREVENT THE PLG DOOR FROM LATCHING CLOSED IN A POWER OPEN/CLOSE CYCLE.IN THIS CONDITION THE PLG CAN RISE (NOT POWER OPEN) DURING VEHICLE OPERATION.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REVISED PLG CONTROL MODULE TO REMEDY THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.SEE SAFETY RECALL 05V134 FOR DETAILS.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA04-031. 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.
Chrysler
All Chrysler recallsDodge
All Dodge 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 EA04-031
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.