NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE06-029: UNEXPECTED LIFTGATE CLOSING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE06-029 on August 2, 2006 and closed it on December 1, 2006, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA06-020, which this investigation's summary cites. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2004–2005 Toyota Sienna for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE06-029 (also written PE06029)
- 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 1, 2006
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Toyota Motor Corporation
- Components
- Latches/Locks/Linkages — Hatchback/Liftgate — Lock; Structure — Body — Hatchback/Liftgate; Structure — Body — Hatchback/Liftgate — Hinge and Attachments; Structure — Body — Hatchback/Liftgate — Support Device/Strut
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2004–2005 Toyota Sienna
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 PE06-029.
THE LIFTGATE GAS STRUTS FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY HAVE DAMAGED GAS SEALS THAT ALLOW THE LIFTGATE TO DROP UNEXPECTEDLY.THE RATES FOR COMPLAINTS, ALLEGED INJURIES AND WARRANTY CLAIMS ARE HIGHER FOR VEHICLES WITH THE POWER LIFTGATE OPTION.THE POWER LIFTGATE MAY AUTOMATICALLY POWER-CLOSE AT THE COMPLETION OF A POWER-OPEN COMMAND WITHOUT INPUT FROM THE OPERATOR.SOME OWNERS ARE CAUGHT UNAWARE OF THE POWER-CLOSE OPERATION WHILE UNDER THE REAR LIFTGATE DOOR.ODI HAS UPGRADED THE INVESTIGATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-020) AND MODIFIED THE SCOPE TO INCLUDE ONLY THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WITH THE POWER LIFTGATE OPTION.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE06-029. 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.
Toyota
All Toyota 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.
Toyota VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE06-029
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.