try.vin
Log in

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA95-029: STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA95-029 on September 26, 1995 and closed it on November 13, 1996. NHTSA's investigations file lists 8 models from 3 makes for it and links recall 96V-229 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA95-029 (also written EA95029)
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 November 13, 1996
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
Steering
Recall linked by NHTSA
Vehicles and equipment
8 models from 3 makes, including the Chrysler Town And Country and Dodge Caravan

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA95-029.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

AFTER AN EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS, CHRYSLER HAS IDENTIFIED THE DEFECT AS A FATIGUE FAILURE, ORIGINATION IN THE HEAT AFFECTED REGION OF THE PROJECTION WELDS OF THE STEERING WHEEL HUB TO STEERING WHEEL ARMATURE ATTACHMENT.THE HUB IS THE PORTION OF THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY THAT CONNECTS IT TO THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT AND IS ATTACHED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY BY 4 WELDS.IF CRACKS DEVELOP IN THE HEAT AFFECTED REGION OF THE WELDS AND PROPAGATE THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL ARMATURE TO EACH OF THE WELDS, THE STEERING WHEEL CAN SEPARATE FROM THE HUB.THIS IS A SLOW PROGRESSIVE FAILURE WHICH NORMALLY OCCURS AT HIGH MILEAGE.IN SOME CASES COMPLAINANTS HAVE REPORTED A LOOSENESS OR WOBBLING OF THE STEERING WHEEL PRIOR TO SEPARATION.TO REMEDY THIS DEFECT, CHRYSLER WILL INSPECT THE STEERING WHEELS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES FOR CRACKS IN THE HUB AREA.IF ANY CRACKS ARE FOUND, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL BE REPLACED.ALL OTHER VEHICLES WILL HAVE REINFORCING PLATES INSTALLED WHICH WOULD PREVENT A STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION SHOULD CRACKING OCCUR.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA95-029. 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.

Chrysler

All Chrysler recalls

Dodge

All Dodge recalls

Plymouth

All Plymouth recalls

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 EA95-029

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.