NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-037: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-037 on May 30, 2008 and closed it on August 25, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Nissan Armada and Titan for it and links recall 08V-284 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE08-037 (also written PE08037)
- 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 25, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Nissan North America, Inc.
- Components
- Electrical System — Wiring; Electrical System — Wiring — Front Underhood; Engine and Engine Cooling; Engine and Engine Cooling — Engine
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 08V-284: AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN/VISTEON, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Nissan Armada and Titan
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-037.
ON MAY 30, 2008, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION BASED ON CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING THAT SMOKE AND/OR FIRE ERUPTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 2005-2006 NISSAN ARMADA AND TITAN VEHICLES.BY LETTER DATED JUNE 24, 2008, NISSAN NOTIFIED THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA) THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA #08V284) FOR MY2005-2006 NISSAN TITAN, ARMADA AND INFINITI QX56 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 17, 2005 TO AUGUST 21, 2006 THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH A 90-WATT AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN.THE RECALL INVOLVES APPROXIMATELY 180,664 VEHICLES.THIS ALSO INCLUDES APPROXIMATELY 5,689 SUBJECT CONDENSER FANS, SOME OF WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED IN MY2004 AND PRE-MARCH 17, 2005 MY NISSAN TITAN, ARMADA OR INFINITI QX56 VEHICLES AS A SERVICE REPLACEMENT PART.NISSAN DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPECIAL THERMAL PROTECTOR KIT ON EXISTING FANS THAT WILL ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FIRE TO OCCUR.NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. (NISSAN) INFORMED ODI THAT THE 90-WATT AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER FAN WAS MANUFACTURED OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION ALLOWING FOR EXCESSIVE WATER INTRUSION AND INADEQUATE DRAINAGE OF MOISTURE THAT MAY ACCUMULATE IN THE MOTOR AS A RESULT OF WATER INTRUSION OR CONDENSATION.IF SUFFICIENT MOISTURE ACCUMULATES IN THE MOTOR WITHOUT ADEQUATE DRAINAGE, CORROSION MAY OCCUR.THE CORROSION CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE IN INTERNAL FRICTION AND AN INCREASE IN THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT DRAW, RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MOTOR THAT COULD MELT ITS WIRING INSULATION AND OTHER PLASTIC COMPONENTS AND FORM A GAS.IF TWO WIRES WITHOUT INSULATION TOUCH EACH OTHER AND CREATE A SPARK, THIS GAS COULD IGNITE AND RESULT IN A FIRE.THE ACTION TAKEN BY NISSAN IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-037. 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.
Nissan
All Nissan 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.
Nissan VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE08-037
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.