NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA17-001: Windshield Wiper Motor Failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA17-001 on April 3, 2017 and closed it on April 8, 2020. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2015–2016 Freightliner Cascadia for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA17-001 (also written EA17001)
- 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 8, 2020
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
- Components
- Visibility; Visibility/Wiper
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2015–2016 Freightliner Cascadia
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 EA17-001.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
On April 3, 2017, the Office of Defects investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA17-001) as an upgrade to a Preliminary Analysis (PE16-005). The investigation focused on alleged windshield wiper failures on 2015-2016 MY Freightliner Cascadia trucks. ODI received Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field reports from the manufacturer describing wipers that intermittently failed to operate, causing a loss of visibility for the driver while driving in rain or snow. Several of the reports alleged multiple vehicles experiencing the failure, while multiple failures also happened on the same vehicle. Many of the field reports indicated the windshield wiper problem was resolved once the wiper motor was replaced.
Following a detailed analysis of data collected by ODI it was determined that a low failure rate for a complete loss of wiper function existed on the subject vehicles. Given this low failure rate and the Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) to address this issue released by DTNA, this investigation is closed.
The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
For a detailed summary of the investigation see attached closing resume document.
The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification number: 11141519
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA17-001. 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
All Freightliner 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA17-001
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.