NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA96-027: ALLEGED REAR LIFTGATE SUPPORT FAILURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA96-027 on October 31, 1996 and closed it on May 16, 1997. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 models from 3 makes for it and links recall 97V-079 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA96-027 (also written EA96027)
- 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 May 16, 1997
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Structure
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 97V-079 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 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 EA96-027.
THE RETAINER BOLT OF THE REAR LIFTGATE SUPPORT CYLINDERS MAY SHEAR RESULTING IN SUDDEN COLLAPSE OF THE REAR HATCH DOOR.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA96-027. 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA96-027
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.