NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA09-003: Drag Link Failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA09-003 on January 15, 2009 and closed it on July 6, 2010. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Volvo VNL and VN for it and links recall 10V-282 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA09-003 (also written EA09003)
- 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 6, 2010
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Volvo Trucks North America
- Components
- Steering; Steering — Gear Box — Shaft Pitman; Steering — Gear Box — Shaft Sector; Steering — Linkages; Steering — Linkages — Drag — Link — Connection; Steering — Linkages — Drag — Power Assist System; Steering — Linkages — Knuckle — Spindle — Arm
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 10V-282: DRAG LINK, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Volvo VNL and VN
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA09-003.
EA09-003 is closed with the submission of Volvo's recall 10V-282 recalling approximately 111,034 Model Year (MY) 1998 through 2005 VN and VNL class 8 trucks.
Volvo announced recall 10V-282 in response to NHTSA's recall request letter dated June 3, 2010 (available at NHTSA's web site www.safercar.gov). NHTSA found that these vehicles were designed and manufactured with a TRW ball joint that does not meet the combined performance requirements and foreseeable inspection practices of the U.S. market.
The ball joint in the steering system that connects the driver's side steering arm/knuckle to the drag link can fail resulting in a total loss of steering on the vehicle.
Volvo changed the size and supplier of the ball joint used on these vehicles starting with the 2006 MY vehicles.
The failure rates on the vehicles manufactured with the larger ball joint are significantly less than the subject vehicles.
The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by ODI that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in Volvo's recall.
ODI will continue to monitor the incidence of drag link failures in other MY Volvo trucks.
Note:The recall request letter dated June 3, 2010 associated with this investigation describes 49 incidents of ball joint separation.
After a comprehensive review of the data it was discovered that the number of separations that NHTSA was aware of was 41 with a failure rate of 36.9 R/100K.The 41 separations resulted in 23 crash allegations.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA09-003. 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.
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.
Volvo VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA09-003
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.