NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA07-015: ENGINE STALLING - FUEL PUMP FAILURE

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA07-015 on November 1, 2007, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE07-033, whose summary cites it, and closed it on October 28, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: EA07-015 (also written EA07015)
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 October 28, 2008
Opened: November 1, 2007
Closed: October 28, 2008
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Components: Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery; Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery — Fuel Pump
Vehicles and equipment: 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier

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 EA07-015.

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

ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE STALLING INCIDENTS THAT HAVE RESULTED FROM SUBJECT COMPONENT FAILURES FOUND THAT THEY CAN OCCUR AT ANY SPEED AND GENERALLY RESULT IN A NO RESTART CONDITION.THESE ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE FACTORS THAT INCREASE THE POTENTIAL SEVERITY OF STALLING INCIDENTS.HOWEVER, THESE INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED AT RELATIVELY LOW RATES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION WHEN COMPARED WITH PRIOR INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING SIMILAR CATEGORIES OF ENGINE STALL CONSEQUENCES.EVEN FOR THE EARLY MY 2003 PRODUCTION, WHERE HIGHER FAILURE RATES WERE NOTED, THE RATES OF PUMP FAILURES RESULTING IN ENGINE STALL ARE LOWER THAN RATES RECORDED IN PRIOR INVESTIGATIONS OF POPULATIONS THAT WERE NOT RECALLED.FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER WOULD NOT BE AN EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.SEE DOCUMENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CLOSING RESUME.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA07-015. 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.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Cavalier
- 2003

All Chevrolet 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.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA07-015

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.