NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE07-049: SIDE FRONT WINDOW SHATTERS
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE07-049 on September 27, 2007 and closed it on February 5, 2008, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA08-004, which this investigation's summary cites. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003–2004 Pontiac Vibe for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE07-049 (also written PE07049)
- 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 February 5, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Components
- Visibility; Visibility — Glass, Side/Rear; Visibility — Power Window Devices and Controls
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2003–2004 Pontiac Vibe
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 PE07-049.
THE SUBJECT VEHICLE IS MANUFACTURED BY NEW UNITED MOTOR MANUFACTURING, INC. (NUMMI) IN FREMONT, CALIFORNIA.NUMMI IS A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN GENERAL MOTORS AND TOYOTA.TOYOTA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RESPONDING TO THIS NHTSA INVESTIGATION.TOYOTA REPORTS THAT ITS EVALUATION IS INCOMPLETE AT THIS TIME, HOWEVER; TOYOTA HAS IDENTIFIED TWO ISSUES THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SIDE WINDOW GLASS BREAKING.IN ITS JANUARY 11, 2008 LETTER TO ODI, TOYOTA STATED THAT A MAJORITY OF THE REPORTS INCLUDED IN THIS RESPONSE ARE MOST LIKELY RELATED TO THE LOOSENING OF THE WINDOW REGULATOR BOLTS.THE SECOND ISSUE IS, LESS PREDOMINANTLY, THE INTERFERENCE OF THE SIDE WINDOW GLASS WITH THE DOOR CHECK LINK....ODI HAS RECEIVED 46 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING THAT THE DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGER POWER FRONT WINDOW SHATTERED, AND/OR THE WINDOW MAKES A POPPING/CLICKING NOISE DURING OPERATION.A LOOSENING OF THE WINDOW REGULATOR BOLTS MAY PRODUCT A POPPING NOISE WHILE OPERATING THE WINDOW.THE POWER WINDOW SYSTEM IN THE VIBE IS ALSO USED IN THE TOYOTA COROLLA AND THE TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX.TOYOTA IDENTIFIED 203 COMPLAINTS FOR MODEL YEAR (MY) 2003-2004 PONTIAC VIBE; AND, 254 COMPLAINTS FOR MY 2003-2004 TOYOTA COROLLA AND TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX ALLEGING THAT THE SIDE FRONT POWER WINDOW SHATTERED AND/OR MADE A POPPING/CLICKING NOISE DURING OPERATION.TOYOTA IS STILL MONITORING AND EVALUATING THIS ISSUE.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA08-004) TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE .
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE07-049. 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.
Pontiac
All Pontiac 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE07-049
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.