NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA08-005: STUCK THROTTLE VALVE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA08-005 on February 14, 2008, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE07-051, whose summary cites it, and closed it on October 14, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2004–2005 Chevrolet Aveo for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA08-005 (also written EA08005)
- 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 14, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Components
- Engine and Engine Cooling — Exhaust System — Emission Control — Crankcase (PCV); Vehicle Speed Control
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2004–2005 Chevrolet Aveo
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 EA08-005.
TO DATE, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) IS AWARE OF 29 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS/FIELD REPORTS AND 52 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT AFFECTING 69 UNIQUE SUBJECT VEHICLES.BECAUSE THE ALLEGED DEFECT CONDITION IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR DURING WINTER MONTHS WHEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING, ODI UPGRADED THIS INVESTIGATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS ON FEBRUARY 14, 2008 SO THAT IT COULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE FIELD EXPERIENCE DURING THE 2007/2008 WINTER SEASON.BY LETTER DATED MAY 22, 2008, GENERAL MOTORS CORP. (GM) SUPPLEMENTED ITS PREVIOUS INFORMATION REQUEST RESPONSE WITH FIELD DATA RECEIVED BY GM THROUGH MAY 1, 2008.
ACCORDING TO GM, WHEN MOISTURE FREEZES IN THE POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) SYSTEM AND/OR THE ENGINE AIR INTAKE TRACT IT IS MOST OFTEN OBSERVED AS A HARD TO START/NO START CONDITION, THROTTLE STUCK CLOSED, ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE, STALLING AT IDLE, OR OIL LEAKAGE.OF THE 29 COMPLAINTS RELATED TO STUCK THROTTLE, ODI IDENTIFIED 5 REPORTS THAT ALLEGE UNWANTED ACCELERATION, 13 REPORTS DESCRIBE AN APPARENT HIGH-IDLE CONDITION AT START UP OR WHEN SLOWING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP WITHOUT ANY ALLEGATION OF UNWANTED ACCELERATION OR DIMINISHED BRAKING PERFORMANCE, AND THE REMAINING 11 REPORTS DESCRIBE AMBIGUOUS ALLEGATIONS OF STUCK THROTTLE WITHOUT REGARD TO SEVERITY OR CONSEQUENCE.ODI ANALYSIS OF FIELD INCIDENT DATA SHOWS THAT THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY TRENDS APPEAR TO BE IN DECLINE, WITH ONLY 1 ADDITIONAL COMPLAINT AND 6 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT RECEIVED BY GM SINCE APRIL 2007. A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL 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 EA08-005. 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
All Chevrolet 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.
Chevrolet VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA08-005
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.