NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA87-005: FIRES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA87-005 on December 1, 1986 and closed it on October 31, 1989. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 models from 2 makes for it and links recall 89V-095 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA87-005 (also written EA87005)
- 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 31, 1989
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Engine and Engine Cooling
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 89V-095 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 models from 2 makes, including the Ford Escort and Ford EXP
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA87-005.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:THE ALLEGED FIRES RESULT FROMA VARIETY OF CAUSES.FIRE RATE REMAINS ABOUT THE SAME DESPITE MAJORCHANGES WITH 85-1/2 MODELS.IT BELIEVES THAT THE FIRE RATE IS LESS THANINDUSTRY AVERAGE.MFGR REQUEST COPIES OF SPECIFIC FIRE REPORTS FOR TRENDANALYSIS.ANALYSIS:SEVERAL AREAS OF FIRE ORIGIN ARE MENTIONED.ENGINE FIRESALLEGEDLY CAUSED BY LEAKAGE OF FLAMMABLE FLUIDS (OIL, GAS, TRANS FLUID).
CATALYTIC CONVERTERS FREQUENTLY CITED AS OVERHEATING.CERTAIN MODELSARE REPORTED AT A GREATER FREQUENCY.EXP TURBO REPORTED MOST OFTEN ON APER UNIT BASIS.STATUS: IR SENT 2/19/88. AWAITING RESPONSE.===
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA87-005. 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.
Ford
All Ford recallsMercury
Mercury Lynx
- 1984, 1985, 1986
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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA87-005
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.