NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Equipment Query EQ11-003: Williams Controls Accelerator Pedals
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ11-003 on May 12, 2011 and closed it on July 19, 2011. NHTSA's investigations file lists 4 Pierce models for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EQ11-003 (also written EQ11003)
- 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 July 19, 2011
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Pierce Manufacturing
- Component
- Vehicle Speed Control — Accelerator Pedal
- Vehicles and equipment
- 4 Pierce models, including the Dash and Lance
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 Equipment Query EQ11-003.
On April 26, 2011, Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. (Pierce) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain Pierce fire trucks, manufactured between June 22, 1999, and May 12, 2008, contain a safety related defect. Pierce stated that certain model year 1999 through 2008 Arrow XT, Dash, Lance, and Enforcer vehicles contain a Williams Controls, Inc. (Williams Controls) suspended electronic accelerator pedal that may become bent after repeated use with excessive force. If the pedal arm bends far enough, the pedal may contact the cab floor without warning and stick in the full throttle position. If the accelerator pedal becomes stuck, the operator may lose control of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash. This issue was assigned recall number 11V-255.
On May 12, 2011, RMD mailed an information request (IR) letter to Williams Controls requesting a list of customers who purchased the same or similar defective accelerator pedals.
Williams Controls responded to RMD's IR letter on June 9, 2011 with a list those companies who purchased the same accelerator pedal.
The list was submitted to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel under a request for confidentiality.
Williams Controls' response letter outlined several key points.
First, it was noted that these pedals, item number 131507, are generic parts that are purchased by engineering staffs in accordance with their own specifications.
According to Williams Controls, Pierce modified their purchased pedals post-purchase and this modification reduced the strength of the accelerator pedal assembly.
Also, Williams Controls stated that it has, never had a warranty claim or other notice, other than by Pierce on their modified pedal, due to lever arm permanent deformation for item number 131507.
While Williams Controls submitted a list of companies that purchased item number 131507, it noted that it did not sell the same or similar defective pedal assemblies to any company as the subject pedals were modified by Pierce.
This Equipment Query is satisfied as, because of modifications not conducted by the pedal manufacturer, the same or similar pedals were not sold to other vehicle manufacturers and no other vehicles should be affected.
However, RMD will continue to monitor recall activity to see if any similar issues are found in other manufacturers' vehicles.
This EQ is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ11-003. 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 EQ11-003
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.