NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE07-028: CNG TANK EXPLODING IN A FIRE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE07-028 on June 11, 2007 and closed it on November 20, 2007. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003 Honda Civic for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE07-028 (also written PE07028)
- 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 November 20, 2007
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
- Components
- Fuel System, Other; Fuel System, Other — Storage; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Tank Assembly; Fuel System, Other — Storage — Tank Assembly — Pressure Relief Devices
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2003 Honda Civic
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 PE07-028.
IN MID-APRIL 2007, HONDA INFORMED ODI OF A CNG TANK EXPLOSION INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON A SUBJECT VEHICLE.THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER AN ARSONIST BROKE INTO A LOT WHERE MULTIPLE VEHICLES, INCLUDING A SUBJECT VEHICLE, WERE STORED AND SET THE VEHICLES ON FIRE.DURING THE FIRE, THE PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE (PRD) ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLE ALLEGEDLY FAILED TO ACTIVATE AND THE COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) TANK EXPLODED.THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED WITH FIRE FIGHTERS AT THE SCENE.NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. CNG TANKS ARE SUBJECT TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 304 - COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS FUEL CONTAINER INTEGRITY.THIS STANDARD REQUIRES THAT EACH CNG FUEL CONTAINER SHALL COMPLETELY VENT ITS CONTENTS THROUGH A PRD OR SHALL NOT BURST WHILE RETAINING ITS ENTIRE CONTENTS WHEN TESTED ACCORDING TO THE STANDARD'S BONFIRE TEST PROCEDURE. A CNG TANK EXPLOSION RAPIDLY RELEASES A LARGE QUANTITY OF ENERGY AND COULD RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC INJURIES, DEATHS, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. AS A RESULT OF HONDA'S TESTING AND REVIEW OF THE INVOLVED VEHICLE, HONDA HAS DEVELOPED AN INSULATOR TO INSULATE THE CNG FUEL TANK FROM A LOCALLY DIRECTED FLAME PROJECTING FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE.INSULATORS WILL BE INSTALLED BEHIND THE BACK SEAT ON SUBJECT VEHICLES TO PREVENT FUTURE FAILURES OF THIS TYPE.HONDA'S ACTION ADDRESSES THE CONCERNS OF ODI.THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE07-028. 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.
Honda
Honda Civic
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.
Honda VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE07-028
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.