NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE09-040: RACK AND PINION FAILURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE09-040 on August 31, 2009 and closed it on November 19, 2009. NHTSA's investigations file lists 6 Freightliner models for it and links recall 09V-357 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE09-040 (also written PE09040)
- 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 November 19, 2009
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- Daimler Trucks North America, LLC; FREIGHTLINER LLC
- Components
- Steering — Rack and Pinion; Steering — Rack and Pinion — Pinion Shaft; Steering — Rack and Pinion — Rack
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 09V-357: RACK AND PINION STEERING, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 6 Freightliner models, including the Cascadia and Century
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE09-040.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
A CONSUMER COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE AGENCY ON AUGUST 22, 2009, BY AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR LEASING A 2009 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA.THE COMPLAINT ALLEGES THAT IN APRIL OF 2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES HE EXPERIENCED A SEAL RUPTURE IN THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY.A NEW SEAL WAS INSTALLED AND AT 56,000 MILES HE FOUND HIS RIGHT STEER TIRE COMPLETELY BALD.THE REPAIR SHOP IDENTIFIED AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE RAPID WEAR OF THE TIRE.ODI HAS IDENTIFIED EWR FIELD REPORTS RELATED TO FAILED RACK AND PINIONS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE REPORTS IDENTIFY EITHER AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY THAT RESULTED IN CRASHES OR A LOOSENESS OF THE INNER TIE ROD END OF THE RACK AND PINION RESULTING IN A POOR ALIGNMENT AND PREMATURE TIRE WEAR.INFORMATION RECEIVED DURING THIS INVESTIGATION FROM FREIGHTLINER DETAILED FAILURES OF THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLIES ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THESE FAILURES WERE THE RESULT OF THE LEFT HAND INNER TIE ROD END BECOMING LOOSE OVER TIME.WHEN THE TIE ROD BECOMES LOOSE, IT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY AND MAKE THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO STEER.FRIEGHTLINER HAS CONCLUDED THAT A DEFECT RELATED TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY DOES EXIST ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND HAS INITIATED A SAFETY RECALL (09V-357) THAT WILL REMEDY ALL OF THEM.THIS RECALL INVOLVES REMOVING THE TIE ROD AND ADDING A COMPOUND TO IT THAT WILL PREVENT THE TIE ROD FROM COMING LOOSE OVER TIME.A COPY OF THE RECALL IS ATTACHED.FREIGHTLINER'S ACTION RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION AND, THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE09-040. 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.
Freightliner
Freightliner Cascadia
Freightliner Century
Freightliner Century Class
Freightliner CENTURY CLASS S/T
Freightliner Century ST
Freightliner Columbia
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 PE09-040
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.