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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA07-002: STEERING COLUMN WELD CRACKS

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA07-002 on January 30, 2007 and closed it on July 12, 2007. NHTSA's investigations file lists 12 models from 3 makes for it and links recall 07V-289 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA07-002 (also written EA07002)
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 July 12, 2007
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
FREIGHTLINER LLC; THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
Components
Steering; Steering — Column
Recall linked by NHTSA
  • 07V-289: DOUGLAS AUTOTEC STEERING COLUMN MISSING WELDS, reported
Vehicles and equipment
12 models from 3 makes, including the Thomas Built Buses FS-65 and Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA07-002.

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

AS A RESULT OF THE ODI INVESTIGATION, FREIGHTLINER HAS AGREED TO RECALL (NUMBER 07V-289) ALL OF THE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED WITH STEERING COLUMNS POTENTIALLY MISSING WELDS.THE RECALL REMEDY WILL INVOLVE INSPECTING THE RECALLED VEHICLES FOR MISSING WELDS AND IF FOUND REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN.EARLY WARNING AGGREGATE DATA SUBMITTED TO NHTSA BY FREIGHTLINER SUGGESTED THAT A STEERING PROBLEM (EWR CODE 01) EXISTED FOR THE 2004 AND 2005 CENTURY AND COLUMBIA CLASS VEHICLES.THE COUNT OF FIELD REPORTS SUBMITTED FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2006 WAS HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE OF THE PREVIOUS 6 QUARTERS FOR THE AGGREGATE STEERING DATA.ODI'S FURTHER REVIEW OF THE EWR DATA FOUNDFIELD REPORTS THAT DESCRIBED STEERING COLUMN FAILURES AS A RESULT OF STEERING COLUMN WELDS CRACKING OR BREAKING.INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM FREIGHTLINER DETAILED FAILURES OF THE STEERING COLUMNS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THESE FAILURES WERE THE RESULT OF MISSING AND CRACKED WELDS ON THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY.DURING TESTING OF VEHICLES CONTAINING DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMNS, ODI DETERMINED THAT WELD FAILURES IN THE STEERING COLUMN CREATE A SITUATION WHERE THE VEHICLE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO STEER OR MAY STARTLE THE DRIVER UPON FAILING, THUS PRESENTING A SAFETY RISK.A COPY OF THE RECALL IS ATTACHED.FREIGHTLINER'S ACTION RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION AND, THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA07-002. 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.

Freightliner

  • Freightliner Century

  • Freightliner Century Class

  • Freightliner Century ST

  • Freightliner Columbia

  • Freightliner Coronado

  • Freightliner Thomas Built Bus

    • 2004
All Freightliner recalls

Thomas

All Thomas recalls

Thomas Built Buses

All Thomas Built Buses 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 EA07-002

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.