NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE05-057: VOLVO XC90 BATTERY CABLE FAILURES

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE05-057 on November 2, 2005 and closed it on March 23, 2006. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2005 Volvo XC90 for it and links recall 05V-529 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE05-057 (also written PE05057)
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 March 23, 2006
Opened: November 2, 2005
Closed: March 23, 2006
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Volvo Car USA, LLC
Components: Electrical System — 12V/24V/48V Battery — Cables; Electrical System — Starter Assembly; Electrical System — Wiring; Electrical System — Wiring — Front Underhood
Recall linked by NHTSA: 05V-529: BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE, reported November 17, 2005
Vehicles and equipment: 2005 Volvo XC90

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-057.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

THE OFFICE OF DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION, PE05-057 BASED ON EARLY WARNING DATA SUBMITTED TO ODI BY VOLVO. THE DATA CONTAINED FIELD REPORTS OF THERMAL FAILURES OF THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE. ON NOVEMBER 17, 2005, VOLVO NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT HAD IDENTIFIED A SAFETY DEFECT IN THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLES IN APPROXIMATELY 9,000 MY 2005 VOLVO XC90 VEHICLES WITH SIX CYLINDER ENGINES THAT COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.VOLVO RECALLED THE AFFECTED VEHICLES TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL GROUNDING CONDITION (NHTSA RECALL #05V-529).

THERE WERE 13 COMPLAINTS, INCLUDING 4 FIRES, AND 10 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE CONDITION ADDRESSED BY 05V-529.

DURING PE05-057, VOLVO ALSO PROVIDED ODI WITH INFORMATION REGARDING THREE OTHER ISSUES RELATED TO THE BATTERY CABLE/TERMINALS IN MY 2005 XC90 VEHICLES:1) UNDER TORQUED BATTERY CABLE ATTACHING FASTENERS TO THE STARTER ALLEGEDLY CAUSING ENGINE STALLS AND MELTED PARTS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT (APPLICABLE TO V8 ENGINES ONLY).2) THE JACK HANDLE MAY BE CRITICALLY MISPOSITIONED AGAINST THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE/POST ALLEGEDLY CAUSING FIRES IN SOME VEHICLES (APPLICABLE TO ALL XC90 VEHICLES).3) A POTENTIAL CHAFFING CONDITION OF THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE TO A SHARP EDGED SHEET METAL FLANGE IN THE REAR STORAGE COMPARTMENT. (APPLICABLE TO ALL XC90 VEHICLES).

THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-006) TO ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY AND POTENTIAL SAFETY CONSEQUENCES OF EACH OF THESE ISSUES.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-057. 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.

Volvo

Volvo XC90
- 2005

All Volvo 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.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE05-057

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.