NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE09-016: OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES STICK UNLATCHED

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE09-016 on March 10, 2009 and closed it on July 2, 2009. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Saturn Vue and Vue Hybrid for it and links recall 09V-233 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE09-016 (also written PE09016)
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 July 2, 2009
Opened: March 10, 2009
Closed: July 2, 2009
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Component: Latches/Locks/Linkages — Doors — Latch
Recall linked by NHTSA: 09V-233: OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE STICKS/BINDS, reported June 25, 2009
Vehicles and equipment: Saturn Vue and Vue Hybrid

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE09-016.

BY LETTER DATED JUNE 23, 2009, GENERAL MOTORS NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 09V233) TO REPLACE THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES. THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES CAN STICK IN THE UNLATCHED POSITION.THE DOOR MAY OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE AGENCY OPENED ITS INVESTIGATION BASED ON TWO COMPLAINTS OF DOOR LATCH FAILURE THAT CAUSED THE DOOR TO OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION.THE AGENCY ALSO RECEIVED EARLY WARNING (EWR) REPORTS ON THIS ISSUE.CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 SATURN VUE VEHICLES HAVE PAINTED BODY-COLOR OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES THAT MAY STICK OR BIND.IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE DOOR MAY NOT LATCH WHEN CLOSED.DRIVING WITH AN UNLATCHED DOOR COULD RESULT IN AN OCCUPANT FALLING PARTLY OR FULLY OUT OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING INCREASED RISK OF INJURY.BASED ON THE ABOVE SAFETY RECALL, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE09-016. 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.

Saturn

Saturn Vue
- 2008
Saturn Vue Hybrid
- 2008

All Saturn 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 PE09-016

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.