NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Equipment Query EQ11-002: Carrier A/C Evaporator Fires

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ11-002 on February 17, 2011 and closed it on May 25, 2012. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Carrier EM-1 for it and links 11 recalls to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: EQ11-002 (also written EQ11002)
Investigation type: Equipment Query An administrative investigation that reviews recall reports to confirm that the equipment suppliers and vehicle manufacturers involved in an equipment recall have filed the recall reports required of them.
Status: Closed May 25, 2012
Opened: February 17, 2011
Closed: May 25, 2012
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Carrier Corporation
Component: Equipment — Appliance — Air Conditioner
Recalls linked by NHTSA: 11V-502: GEN EM-1 EVAPORATORS/CARRIER, reported October 14, 2011
11V-540: EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLIES/POSSIBLE FIRE/CARRIER, reported November 10, 2011
11V-559: EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLIES/POSSIBLE FIRE/CARRIER, reported November 15, 2011
11V-571: EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLIES/POSSIBLE FIRE, reported December 1, 2011
11V-581: EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLIES/POSSIBLE FIRE/CARRIER, reported December 8, 2011
12V-003: EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLIES/POSSIBLE FIRE, reported January 6, 2012
12V-011: EVAPORATORS, reported January 13, 2012
12V-044: EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLIES/POSSIBLE FIRE, reported February 2, 2012
11E-003 (NHTSA record)
11V-302 (NHTSA record)
12V-179 (NHTSA record)
Vehicles and equipment: Carrier EM-1

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Equipment Query EQ11-002.

On January 25, 2011, Carrier Corporation (Carrier) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain GenV EM-1 evaporator assemblies, installed into school buses and shuttle buses, contain a safety related defect.

Carrier stated that certain EM-1 evaporators, manufactured between January 2006 and December 2010, contain a Delphi Pack-Con III fuse holder in an Allied Motion motor assembly.

Over time, the Delphi fuse holder contacts may relax and possibly produce arcing.

If sufficient arcing occurs, the fuse holder may melt, and may be accompanied by flame, smoke and potential fire.

This issue was assigned recall number 11E-003.

On February 2, 2011, RMD contacted Delphi Corporation (Delphi) via e-mail to learn if it intended to file a Part 573 Report for the Pack-Con III fuse holders that Carrier deemed defective in its Part 573 filing.

On February 17, 2011, Delphi responded via e-mail that this particular fuse holder had been in production since 1976 without any field issues reported to Delphi.

Delphi stated that it, ...believes the Pack-Con III fuse holder is not defective and that the Pack-Con III fuse holder was misapplied by Carrier.

On March 17, 2011, RMD issued an information request (IR) letter to Delphi to formally request a list of purchasers that received these fuse holders.

On March 25, 2011 Delphi responded by supplying a list of purchasers to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel under a request for confidentiality.

Given the information supplied in Delphi's earlier February 17, 2011 response, RMD chose not to contact the purchasers of these fuse holders during this EQ as no other vehicle or equipment manufacturers have filed similar safety defect decisions with the NHTSA at this time.

RMD may, however, contact these fuse holder purchasers in the future should any other safety defect decisions regarding this equipment be filed with the NHTSA.On October 6, 2011, RMD mailed IR letters to 10 purchasers identified in Carrier?s Part 573 filing in order to learn if any vehicles were manufactured with these EM-1 evaporators.

Six manufacturers responded by filing Part 573 Reports for vehicles they manufactured and also conducted safety recalls.

Three manufacturers, Sonny Merryman Inc., Colonial Equipment Company, and Rivers Bus Sales responded that their evaporators were only installed into used vehicles or retail sold, neither requiring the companies to conduct safety recalls.

Pro Air, LLC (Pro Air) responded that it distributed its more than 5,400 units to companies that might manufacture new motor vehicles.

After multiple requests, RMD received Pro Air?s purchaser list on November 29, 2011.

On December 14, 2011, RMD mailed IR letters to 5 purchasers identified by Pro Air.

Three companies responded by filing Part 573 Reports and conducting safety recalls. Two companies, TMC Group and Herr Display Vans, did not respond to RMD?s IR letter or follow-up e-mails requests.

These companies will be referred to NHTSA?s Office of the Chief Counsel for further possible enforcement action.

In total, 9 manufacturers filed the following Part 573 Reports as a result of this EQ:11V-502 - Collins Bus Corp. 11V-540 ? Molly Corporation 11V-559 ? Double K, Inc. 11V-571 ? Starcraft Bus 11V-581 ? Kingmor Supply, Inc. 12V-003 ? Elkhart Coach 12V-011 ? Forest River, Glaval Bus Div. 12V-044 ? Turtle Top 12V-179 ? Nesco BusThis Equipment Query is closed.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ11-002. 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.

Carrier

Carrier EM-1
- model year not given

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 EQ11-002

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.