NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE07-029: SIDE ELECTRICAL FUSE PANEL FIRES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE07-029 on June 20, 2007 and closed it on November 29, 2007. NHTSA's investigations file lists 5 models from 2 makes for it and links recall 07V-544 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE07-029 (also written PE07029)
- 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 29, 2007
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.; FREIGHTLINER LLC
- Component
- Electrical System
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 07V-544: AUTO RESET CIRCUIT BREAKERS, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 5 models from 2 makes, including the Thomas Built Buses FS-65 and Thomas ER
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE07-029.
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION AFTER BECOMING AWARE OF TWO SCHOOL BUS FIRES THAT STARTED IN THE SIDE MOUNTED ELECTRICAL FUSE PANEL ON A PAIR OF THOMAS BUILT SCHOOL BUSES.THEFLEET OWNER HAD REPORTED THE BUS INTERIORS FILLED WITH SMOKE, CERTAIN ELECTRICAL DEVICES BECAME INOPERATIVE, AND THE BUSES STALLED. THE TWO BUSES INVOLVED IN THE FIRE INCIDENTS HAVE CONSECUTIVE VIN NUMBERS AND THE FIRES WERE SIMILAR, BUT NOT IDENTICAL TO A PREVIOUS RECALL (06V-136) CONDUCTED BY THOMAS BUILT.THESE BUSES WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRIOR RECALL, WHICH INVOLVED A DEFECTIVE POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (PDM).
AFTER FURTHER TECHNICAL EVALUATION, FREIGHTLINER DECIDED THEY WOULD CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL TO CORRECT DEFICIENCIES IN THEPREVIOUS RECALL AND ALSO EXPAND THE POPULATION TO CAPTURE ALL AFFECTED BUSES.THE CORRECTIVE ACTION FREIGHTLINER PLANS TO TAKE WILL BE FORWARDED TO ODI WHEN AVAILABLE. ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE07-029. 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.
Thomas
Thomas ER
Thomas HDX
Thomas MVP ER
Thomas Built Buses
Thomas Built Buses FS-65
Thomas Built Buses HDX
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 PE07-029
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.