NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-034: SCHOOL BUS STALLING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-034 on May 9, 2008 and closed it on August 28, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists 8 models from 2 makes for it and links recall 08V-353 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE08-034 (also written PE08034)
- 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 August 28, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- IC CORPORATION; Navistar, Inc.
- Component
- Electrical System — Wiring — Fuses and Circuit Breakers
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 08V-353: ENGINE HARD START/NO START/ENGINE STALL, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 8 models from 2 makes, including the IC BE and IC HC
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-034.
THIS PE WAS OPENED AFTER ODI BECAME AWARE OF 7 EVENTS ON SCHOOL BUSES WHERE THE FUSE FOR THE ECMOVERHEATED AND BURNED THE FUSE HOLDER AND/OR FUSE HOLDER TERMINALS.ONCE OVERHEATING OF THE FUSE HOLDER OCCURS, THE FUSE BLADES WOULD NO LONGERBE SECURED IN THE PLASTIC HOLDER, THUS INTERRUPTING THE ELECTRICAL FLOW.THE COMPLAINTS CENTERED AROUNDEITHER A NO-START, HARD START, ERRATIC ENGINE PERFORMANCE OR ENGINE STALLING. ODI WAS ALSO AWARE OF REPORTED BATTERY BOX FIRES. THEPE WAS OPENED TO EXAMINE THE SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE AND GAIN A TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROBLEM.AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH ODI AND FURTHER REVIEW OF FIELD INCIDENTS, IC DECIDED THE PROPER WAY TO HANDLE THIS ISSUE WAS TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL DURING WHICH THEY WILLREPLACE THE FUSE HOLDERS AND THE POWER ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.THIS RECALL ACTION RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION. THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-034. 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.
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 PE08-034
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.