NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA96-001: CANVAS SOFT-TOP FLY-OFF

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA96-001 on February 29, 1996, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE95-051, whose summary cites it, and closed it on April 8, 1997. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1992–1994 Dodge Viper for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA96-001 (also written EA96001)
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, 1997
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
Structure
Vehicles and equipment
1992–1994 Dodge Viper

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 EA96-001.

REMOVABLE CANVAS SOFT-TOP FLEW OFF OF VEHICLES WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA96-001. 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.

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.

Dodge VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA96-001

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.