NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-055: FRONT LEAF SPRING BREAKAGE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-055 on September 17, 2008 and closed it on January 13, 2009. NHTSA's investigations file lists the IC Bus CE and International 4300 for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE08-055 (also written PE08055)
- 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 January 13, 2009
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- IC CORPORATION; Navistar, Inc.
- Component
- Suspension — Front — Springs — Leaf Spring Assembly
- Vehicles and equipment
- IC Bus CE and International 4300
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 PE08-055.
ODI OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION IN SEPTEMBER 2008, BASED ON 18 WARRANTY CLAIMS OF FRACTURED FRONT LEAF SPRINGS. AT 2008 YEAR-END, INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE (ITE) HAS ADVISED ODI THAT AN ADDITIONAL 11 WARRANTY CLAIMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO DATE (TOTAL 29).
ODI 'S INVESTIGATION HAS DETERMINED THAT A MANUFACTURING FLAW EXISTS IN AN INDETERMINATE NUMBER OF THE 1600 FRONT LEAF SPRINGS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JULY AND AUGUST, 2007 BY ITS SUPPLIER, HENDRICKSON, USA, LLC.INVESTIGATION HAS DETERMINED THAT FRACTURED SPRINGS HAVE BEEN DETECTED SOLELY BY VISUAL OR AUDIBLE INDICATIONS SUCH AS VEHICLE SAG OR TILT AND/OR FRONT END VEHICLE NOISE.EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON VEHICLE CONTROL IF AND WHEN THE LOWER LEAF OF THE TWO LEAF FRONT SPRING ASSEMBLY FRACTURES IN THE SUSPECT VEHICLES SINCE THE INTACT UPPER LEAF SPRING CONTINUES TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LOAD BEARING SUPPORT AND FRONT AXLE ALIGNMENT FOR THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF LOSS OF CONTROL AND NO CRASHES.THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.A SAFETY RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES IS NOT CURRENTLY WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THE VEHICLES IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES. ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FIELD REPORTS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IF INDICATED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-055. 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.
IC Bus
IC Bus CE
International
International 4300
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 PE08-055
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.