NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE05-038: ACCELERATOR PEDAL INTERFERENCE

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE05-038 on July 7, 2005 and closed it on September 13, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Ford models for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE05-038 (also written PE05038)
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 September 13, 2005
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Component
Vehicle Speed Control — Accelerator Pedal
Vehicles and equipment
3 Ford models, including the Mustang and Mustang Convertible

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 PE05-038.

PE05-038 WAS OPENED ON JULY 7, 2005, WITH 11 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS TO ODI ALLEGING INCIDENTS OF THROTTLE STICKING DUE TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL INTERFERENCE WITH THE CARPET.ODI HAS RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL 24 COMPLAINTS SINCE THE PE WAS OPENED.DURING PE05-038, FORD SUPPLIED COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY INFORMATION REGARDING 86 ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS OF ACCELERATOR PEDAL INTERFERENCE IN MODEL YEAR 2003 TO 2004 MUSTANG COBRA VEHICLES.EIGHTY-FIVE OF THESE HAD CONCERNS OF ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING, 70 OF WHICH WERE ANALYZED AS BEING RELATED TO CARPET INTERFERENCE.ODI IS CONTINUING ITS ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSAL FACTORS IN THE REMAINING 15 INCIDENTS.THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION 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 PE05-038. 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.

Ford

All Ford 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.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE05-038

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.