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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE03-015: ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADE SEPARATION

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE03-015 on April 15, 2003 and closed it on August 15, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1998–2000 Volkswagen Eurovan for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE03-015 (also written PE03015)
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 15, 2003
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Component
Engine and Engine Cooling — Cooling System — Fan
Vehicles and equipment
1998–2000 Volkswagen Eurovan

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 Preliminary Evaluation PE03-015.

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE)03-015 ON APRIL 15, 2003, BASED ON THREE REPORTS ALLEGING THAT FAN BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE ELECTRONIC COOLING FAN.ALL THREE VEHICLES WERE WINNEBAGO RIALTA CLASS C MOTOR HOMES BUILT ON A VOLKSWAGEN EUROVAN CHASSIS.DURING THE PE INVESTIGATION, VOLKSWAGEN PROVIDED 125 ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF FAN FAILURES.THE ADDITIONAL REPORTS INCLUDED 107 REPORTS ON RIALTA VEHICLES (ALL USING A SIEMENS MANUFACTURED COOLING FAN) AND 18 REPORTS ON EUROVAN VEHICLES (15 USING SIEMENS FANS AND 3 USING BOSCH FANS).

AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION (EA03-013) HAS BEEN OPENED FOR FURTHER STUDY.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE03-015. 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.

Volkswagen

All Volkswagen recalls

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.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE03-015

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.