NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE03-034: PASSENGER DOOR INTERLOCK MALFUNCTION
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE03-034 on July 23, 2003 and closed it on December 1, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1998–2003 Blue Bird LTC 40 for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE03-034 (also written PE03034)
- 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 December 1, 2003
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Blue Bird Body Company
- Component
- Electrical System
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1998–2003 Blue Bird LTC 40
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 PE03-034.
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON A SINGLE, OHIO FLEETCOMPLAINT ON A MODEL YEAR 2000 BUS WITH 151,000 MILES.VRTC TEST ENGINEERS VISITED THE FLEET AND CONFIRMED THE EXISTENCE OF THE PROBLEM, A STUCK DOOR.THE SYTEM IS DESIGNED SUCH THAT WHEN THE DOOR SYSTEM IS ENGAGED, TWO STEEL PINS DROP IN PLACE FOR SAFETY PURPOSES.THE PINS SHOULD DISENGAGE WHEN THE BUS TRANSMISSION IS IN A NEUTRAL POSITION.THERE IS AN OVERRIDE SWITCH IN THE EVENT OF A FAILURE.VRTC TEST ENGINEERS CONFIRMED ON THE COMPLAINT BUS THAT THE PINS WOULD BECOME STUCK AND NOT DISENGAGE, ELIMINATING THAT DOOR AS AN EXIT, WHICH COULD BE A CONCERN IN AN EMERGENCY,AS A RESULT OF ODI'S INQUIRY, BLUEBIRD SUMBITTED INFORMATION WHICH INDICATED NO CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OR FIELD REPORTS RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.BLUEBIRD DID IDENTIFY 301 WARRANTY CLAIMS. HOWEVER, THESE WERE NORMAL MAINTENANCE ITEMS SUCH AS REPAIRS FOR DAMAGE, MISSING TRIM, AND ROUTINE ADJUSTMENTS OF OPERATING AIR CYLINDERS, ELECTRONIC CONTROL SWITCHES, MANUAL DEADLBOLT LOCKS, ETC.ODI CONTACTED THREE FLEET SERVICE MANAGERS SERVICING 46 SUBJECT BUSES.THE FLEET MANAGERS REPORTED NO CONINUOUS PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE OPERATION OF THE ENTRY DOORS OF VEHICLES WITHIN THEIR FLEETS.ODI CONCLUDES THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT TREND EXISTS IN THE SUBJECT BUSES AND, THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THE VEHICLES IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCS.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE03-034. 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 PE03-034
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.