NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA05-017: HUMMER H2 STEERING KNUCKLE FAILURES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA05-017 on October 28, 2005, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE04-080, which this investigation's summary cites, and closed it on April 30, 2007. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003–2006 Hummer H2 for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA05-017 (also written EA05017)
- 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 30, 2007
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Component
- Suspension — Front — Control Arm — Lower Ball Joint
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2003–2006 Hummer H2
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 EA05-017.
ODI UPGRADED THIS INVESTIGATION AT THE CONCLUSION OF PE04-080.
THE ALLEGED DEFECT INVOLVES THE FAILURE OF THE STEERING KNUCKLE AT THE LOWER BALL JOINT BOSS, RESULTING IN A SEPARATION OF THE LOWER BALL JOINT FROM THE KNUCKLE.A LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATION COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF STEERING AND/OR A DISABLED VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT THE FRACTURES OF H2 STEERING KNUCKLES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO WHEEL/TIRE COLLISION FORCES BEING TRANSFERRED DIRECTLY TO THE STEERING KNUCKLE.THE ORIGINAL KNUCKLE DESIGN APPEARS TO BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE H2 APPLICATION.EVIDENCE FROM INSPECTED VEHICLES, PHOTOGRAPHS, POLICE REPORTS AND EDR DATA INDICATES COLLISION IMPACT EVENTS PLACED STRESS ON THE STEERING KNUCKLE CAUSING IT TO FRACTURE.FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS WITH REGARD TO THE SUBJECT COMPONENT.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THIS ISSUE IF WARRANTED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA05-017. 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.
Hummer
All Hummer 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 EA05-017
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.