NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE04-039: FALSE PARK
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-039 on April 13, 2004 and closed it on August 26, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Dodge Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE04-039 (also written PE04039)
- 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 26, 2004
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Components
- Power Train — Automatic Transmission; Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Gear Position Indication (PRNDL); Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Lever and Linkage — Column Shift; Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Lever and Linkage — Floor Shift; Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch
- Vehicles and equipment
- Dodge Ram 2500 and Ram 3500
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 PE04-039.
THERE HAVE BEEN 50 COMPLAINTS TO ODI AND DAIMLERCHRYSLER ALLEGING INCIDENTS OF REVERSE POWERED ROLLAWAY IN SUBJECT VEHICLES THAT WERE PARKED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE PARKING BRAKE DISENGAGED.THE INCIDENTS ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE RESULTED IN 42 CRASHES AND 3 INJURIES. ACCORDING TO DAIMLERCHRYSLER, INCIDENT VEHICLE INSPECTIONS HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED ANY MISADJUSTED OR BROKEN PARTS.A TYPICAL INCIDENT IS BELIEVED TO INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING SET OF CONDITIONS:(1) WITH THE VEHICLE ON A RELATIVELY LEVEL SURFACE, AN ATTEMPTED SHIFT INTO PARK INADVERTENTLY PLACES THE TRANSMISSION IN A POSITION BETWEEN THE REVERSE AND PARK GEAR DETENTS; (2) THE DRIVER EXITS THE VEHICLE WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THE ENGINE RUNNING, AND THE PARKING BRAKE DISENGAGED; AND (3) AFTER SOME DELAY, THE VEHICLE BEGINS TRAVELING REARWARD.IN PRIOR INVESTIGATIONS OF OTHER DAIMLERCHRYSLER PRODUCTS, REVERSE MOTION WAS FOUND TO RESULT FROM A GRADUAL PRESSURIZATION OF THE REVERSE CIRCUIT (HYDRAULIC REVERSE). DAIMLERCHRYSLER ATTRIBUTES THE INCIDENTS TO OPERATOR ERROR IN USING A SYSTEM THAT FUNCTIONED AS DESIGNED.ACCORDING TO DAIMLERCHRYSLER, THE ALLEGED DEFECT CANNOT OCCUR IF THE DRIVER:(1) SHIFTS FULLY INTO PARK AS INDICATED BY END OF SHIFTER TRAVEL SLAM, THE FORWARD THROW OF THE SHIFT LEVER, AND/OR THE ILLUMINATION OF THE PARK INDICATION IN THE PRNDL DISPLAY; (2) REMOVES THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION; (3) TURNS THE ENGINE OFF; OR (4) ENGAGES THE PARKING BRAKE. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH:(1) DAIMLERCHRYSLER'S RE-SPECIFIC TRANSMISSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN THE SUBJECT OF TWO PREVIOUS ODI REVERSE POWERED ROLLAWAY INVESTIGATIONS (EA96-006 & EA01-017); AND (2) A COLUMN MOUNTED SHIFT MECHANISM WITH AN ELECTRONIC GEAR POSITION INDICATOR (PRNDL) THAT IS LOCATED IN THE DASH DISPLAY DIRECTLY FORWARD OF THE STEERING WHEEL.TWO PEER POPULATIONS OF DODGE RAM PICKUP TRUCKS WERE ANALYZED FOR COMPARISON WITH THE SUBJECT VEHICLES:(1) MY 2001-02 RAM 2500/3500 PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH SIMILAR TRANSMISSIONS, BUT A DIFFERENT SHIFTER WITH A MECHANICAL PRNDL; AND (2) MY 2003-04 RAM 1500 PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME SHIFTER AS THE SUBJECT VEHICLES BUT DIFFERENT TRANSMISSIONS.THE COMPLAINT RATE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN IN THE TWO PEER POPULATIONS.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-039. 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.
Dodge
All Dodge recallsWhat 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.
Dodge VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE04-039
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.