NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE04-036: DIESEL EXHAUST GAS INTRUSION
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-036 on April 12, 2004 and closed it on December 6, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003 Freightliner Columbia for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE04-036 (also written PE04036)
- 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 6, 2004
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- FREIGHTLINER LLC
- Components
- Engine and Engine Cooling — Exhaust System — Emission Control; Engine and Engine Cooling — Exhaust System — Emission Control — Gas Recirculation Valve (EGR VALVE); Engine and Engine Cooling — Exhaust System — Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2003 Freightliner Columbia
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 PE04-036.
THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WAS OPENED BASED ON 3 COMPLAINTS FROM DRIVERS OF 2003 MODEL YEAR (MY) FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA TRUCK TRACTORS AND ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY FREIGHTLINER INDICATING A KNOWN PROBLEM OF EXHAUST LEAKS IN CERTAIN DETROIT DIESEL SERIES-60 ENGINES EQUIPPED WITH A ?COOLED EGR? EMISSIONS CONTROL SYSTEM.DURING THE INVESTIGATION, ODI REQUESTED RELATED INFORMATION ON ALL 2000 MY THROUGH THE CURRENT 2005 MY FREIGHTLINER TRUCK TRACTORS FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES.ODI?S INITIAL CONCERN STEMMED FROM THE AFFECTS OF POSSIBLE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND WHETHER OR NOT THIS PROBLEM MAY CONSTITUTE A SAFETY RISK.THE ?INJURY INCIDENTS? INCLUDED IN THE FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY ARE A COUNT OF SUBJECT VEHICLES IN WHICH DRIVERS REPORTED FEELING ILL AS A RESULT OF SOME KIND OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT FUMES ENTERING THE CAB OF THEIR VEHICLES, AND THE ?INJURIES? ARE THE NUMBER OF SUCH INSTANCES EXPERIENCED BY THE DRIVERS OF THESE VEHICLES.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-036. 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.
Freightliner
Freightliner Columbia
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 PE04-036
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.