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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE08-010: NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-010 on February 4, 2008 and closed it on June 12, 2008, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA08-010, which this investigation's summary cites. NHTSA's investigations file lists 23 models from 4 makes for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE08-010 (also written PE08010)
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 12, 2008
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Components
Electrical System; Electrical System — 12V/24V/48V Battery; Electrical System — 12V/24V/48V Battery — Cables; Electrical System — Wiring; Electrical System — Wiring — Front Underhood; Engine and Engine Cooling; Engine and Engine Cooling — Engine
Vehicles and equipment
23 models from 4 makes, including the Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV

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 PE08-010.

IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION(ODI) DURING PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE08-010, GM PROVIDED ODI WITH 41 ALLEGATIONS OF NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES INCLUDING 16 ALLEGATIONS OF FIRES ORIGINATING WITH THE IGNITION IN THE OFF POSITION.ONE OF THE FIRES WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY AN ARSON EVENT.ODI HAS ALSO RECEIVED 5 REPORTS, 4 OF WHICH ARE OF DUPLICATIVE OF REPORTS PROVIDED BY GM, ALLEGING NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.IN TOTAL, ODI IS AWARE OF 41 NON-CRASHENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES THAT ARE UNRELATED TO ARSON.EIGHT OF THE 41 FIRE ALLEGATIONS ALSO ALLEGE PROPERTY DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE FIRES.THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA08-010) TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, ORIGIN AND CAUSE OF THE ALLEGED NON-CRASH RELATED ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-010. 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.

Cadillac

All Cadillac recalls

Chevrolet

All Chevrolet recalls

GMC

All GMC recalls

Hummer

All Hummer recalls

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 PE08-010

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.