NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA08-008: UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA08-008 on April 15, 2008 and closed it on April 16, 2009. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2002–2003 Jeep Liberty for it and links recall 09V-119 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA08-008 (also written EA08008)
- 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 16, 2009
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Components
- Suspension; Suspension — Front — Control Arm — Upper Ball Joint
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 09V-119: UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2002–2003 Jeep Liberty
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA08-008.
ON APRIL 7, 2009, CHRYSLER LLC SUBMITTED TO ODI A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT INDICATING THAT IT WOULD RECALL APPROXIMATELY 42,469 MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2003 JEEP LIBERTY VEHICLES TO REMEDY A DEFECT THAT CAN RESULT IN UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION WHILE DRIVING (09V-119).
THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WERE BUILT FROM MAY 2002 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2002 AND ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, KENTUCKY, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA AND WISCONSIN.ACCORDING TO CHRYSLER, THE FRONT SUSPENSION UPPER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT MAY EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF LUBRICATION WHICH CAN LEAD TO CORROSION, ACCELERATED WEAR, AND POSSIBLE SEPARATION WHILE DRIVING. CHRYSLER'S RECALL PROCEDURE INSTRUCTS DEALERS TO REPLACE THE FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLIES ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. ALTHOUGH THE SPECIFIC CAUSE FOR THE DEFECT IN THE RECALLED PRODUCTION RANGE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED, ODI'S ANALYSIS OF UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATIONS BY VEHICLE BUILD DATE SHOWS A CLEARLY DEFINED AND SIGNIFICANT SPIKE IN THE RATE OF SEPARATION DURING THE FIVE MONTH PRODUCTION RANGE COVERED BY 09V-119, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY 11 PERCENT OF SUBJECT VEHICLE PRODUCTION BUT APPROXIMATELY 70 PERCENT OF SEPARATION INCIDENTS.SEVENTY-FOUR (74) OF THE UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION INCIDENTS IDENTIFIED BY ODI OCCURRED IN VEHICLES PRODUCED IN THE RECALL MONTHS, RESULTING IN A SEPARATION RATE OF 174 PER 100,000 VEHICLES.THE SEPARATION RATE IN THE REMAINING SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER, AT 9 INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.AT THIS TIME, THE DATA DO NOT SHOW A DEFECT TREND IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT OUTSIDE THE RECALL RANGE AFTER APPROXIMATELY 6-8 YEARS IN SERVICE. THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA08-008. 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.
Jeep
All Jeep 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.
Jeep VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA08-008
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.