NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-007: ALLEGED ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-007 on January 29, 2008 and closed it on June 4, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2004–2006 Lamborghini Gallardo for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE08-007 (also written PE08007)
- 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 June 4, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Lamborghini (Automobili Lamborghini)
- Components
- Engine and Engine Cooling; Engine and Engine Cooling — Engine; Engine and Engine Cooling — Engine — Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Other
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2004–2006 Lamborghini Gallardo
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 PE08-007.
THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WAS OPENED TO INVESTIGATE THREE REPORTS OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.TWO OF THE REPORTS ALLEGED THAT A FIRE OCCURRED WHILE REFUELING.THE THIRDALLEGES A FIRE OCCURRED WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. INFORMATION PROVIDED BY LAMBORGHINI IN RESPONSE TO ODI'SINFORMATION REQUEST LETTER IDENTIFIED FOUR ADDITIONAL ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES INVOLVING THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.FOUR OF THE 7 TOTAL FIRE INCIDENTS REPORTED TO EITHER ODI OR LAMBORGHINI WERE ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED BY RUPTURES OF VARIOUS E-GEAR (HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM) HYDRAULIC FLUID LINES SPRAYING HYDRAULIC FLUID ON HOT EXHAUST COMPONENTS.EACH OF THESE INCIDENTS INVOLVED DIFFERENT E-GEAR HYDRAULIC LINES OR FITTINGS (THERE ARE FIVE HYDRAULIC LINES IN THE E-GEAR SYSTEM) AND A REVIEW OF INCIDENT VEHICLE SERVICE HISTORIES INDICATES THAT PRIOR REPAIRS MAY HAVE BEEN FACTORS IN ALL FOUR OF THESE FIRES. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE TWO INCIDENTS OF FIRE THAT OCCURRED WHILE REFUELING DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY VEHICLE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE FIRES.BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED AND CONSUMER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INCIDENTS, ODI CANNOT CONCLUDE THAT THE FIRES ORIGINATED WITHIN THE VEHICLES AND NOT ON THE GROUND IN THE VICINITY OF THE VEHICLES.LAMBORGHINI'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SEVENTH FIRE IS THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE FUEL RETURN LINE WAS IMPROPERLY RECONNECTED AFTER A FUEL SENDING UNIT REPLACEMENT.SERVICE HISTORY INFORMATION SHOWS THAT THE FIRE OCCURRED 3 DAYS AND 100 MILES AFTER THE SENDING UNIT REPLACEMENT.NO SAFETY RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-007. 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.
Lamborghini
All Lamborghini 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 PE08-007
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.