NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE08-071: INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE LACERATION HAZARD

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-071 on December 15, 2008 and closed it on May 29, 2009. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2002–2003 Hyundai Sonata for it and links recall 09V-171 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE08-071 (also written PE08071)
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 May 29, 2009
Opened: December 15, 2008
Closed: May 29, 2009
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Component: Latches/Locks/Linkages — Doors — Latch
Recall linked by NHTSA: 09V-171: INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE LACERATION /GOLD INDUSTRIES, reported May 21, 2009
Vehicles and equipment: 2002–2003 Hyundai Sonata

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-071.

THE MANUFACTURER HAS ISSUED A SAFETY RECALL NOTIFICATION AS A RESULT OF THIS INVESTIGATION.THE RECALL AFFECTS 91,202 MY 2002-2003 SUBJECT VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM JANUARY 28, 2002, THROUGH MARCH 22, 2003.

THE VEHICLE RECALL POPULATION WAS DEFINED BY THE MANUFACTURER'S USE OF A NEW SUPPLIER FOR THE CHROME PLATING PROCESS BEGINNING IN JANUARY 2002, AND A PRODUCTION CHANGE IN MARCH 2003 TO IMPROVE ADHESION OF THE PLATING TO THE DOOR HANDLE.VEHICLES BEING RECALLED REPRESENT 59 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL MY 2002-2003 PRODUCTION, BUT ACCOUNT FOR 91 PERCENT OF THE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS RECEIVED.THE PROCESS CHANGE FOR MY 2002 VEHICLES RESULTED IN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN COMPLAINTS (1200 PERCENT ON A PER UNIT RATE BASIS).

MY 2003 VEHICLES BUILT AFTER MARCH 2003 PRODUCTION CHANGE SHOWED A SIMILAR DECLINE IN THE COMPLAINT RATE.BASED ON THE MANUFACTURER'S ACTION, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CLOSED.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-071. 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.

Hyundai

Hyundai Sonata
- 2002, 2003

All Hyundai 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.

Hyundai VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE08-071

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.