NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE04-080: STEERING KNUCKLE FRACTURE

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-080 on December 2, 2004 and closed it on October 28, 2005, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA05-017, whose summary cites it. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003–2004 Hummer H2 for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE04-080 (also written PE04080)
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 October 28, 2005
Opened: December 2, 2004
Closed: October 28, 2005
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Components: Steering — Linkages — Tie Rod Assembly; Suspension — Front; Suspension — Front — Control Arm — Lower Ball Joint
Vehicles and equipment: 2003–2004 Hummer H2

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 PE04-080.

DURING THE PE, ODI INVESTIGATED THE HUMMER H2 FOR FRACTURES WHICH WERE OCCURRING AT THE FRONT STEERING KNUCKLE LOWER BOSS.WHEN THE KNUCKLE LOWER BOSS FRACTURES, THE LOWER BALL JOINT STUD IS RELEASED AND THE ENTIRE KNUCKLE AND WHEEL/TIRE ASSEMBLY SEPARATES FROM THE VEHICLE.ODI IS UPGRADING THIS INVESTIGATION TO GAIN A FULL TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THESE FAILURES.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-080. 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.

Hummer

Hummer H2
- 2003, 2004

All Hummer 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.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE04-080

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.