NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE03-009: FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE03-009 on February 25, 2003 and closed it on August 8, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis for it and links recall 03V-279 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE03-009 (also written PE03009)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed August 8, 2003
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Wheels
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 03V-279: STEEL WHEELS, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE03-009.
THE SUBJECT WHEEL (NEW FOR MY 2003) IS USED ON CROWN VICTORIA (CV) AND GRAND MARQUIS.COMPLAINT DATA INDICATES THAT WHEEL FAILURE AFFECTS PRIMARILY THE COMMERCIAL SPECIFICATION CV MODEL (POLICE AND TAXI) WHICH HAS UNIQUE DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS AND IS GENERALLY SUBJECTED TO HIGHER USAGE DEMANDS.DURING FORD'S ANALYSIS, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT CYCLIC BENDING MOMENT FATIGUE COULD CAUSE RIM CRACKS TO OCCUR IN THE HEAT AFFECTED ZONE ADJACENT TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELD.FORD IMPLEMENTED CHANGES IN WHEEL MANUFACTURE IN SEPTEMBER 2002 AND INTRODUCED A NEW WHEEL DESIGN WITH A THICKER RIM IN APRIL 2003.
ODI FOUND EVIDENCE THAT INDICATED RAPID CRACK PROPOGATION MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED IN SEVEN WHEEL FAILURE INCIDENTS, TWO OF WHICH LEAD TO TIRE DEBEADING.FORD HAS ANNOUNCED THAT 29,946 COMMERCIAL SPEC CV VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO THE SEPTEMBER CHANGE, WILL BE RECALLED TO HAVE THE APRIL 2003 DESIGN WHEEL INSTALLED.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR WHEEL FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE03-009. 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.
Ford
Ford Crown Victoria
Mercury
Mercury Grand Marquis
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 PE03-009
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.