NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE09-043: STARTER CABLE CHAFING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE09-043 on September 9, 2009 and closed it on January 13, 2010. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2005–2007 MCI D for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE09-043 (also written PE09043)
- 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, 2010
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Motor Coach Industries
- Component
- Electrical System — Wiring
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2005–2007 MCI D
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 PE09-043.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
IN AUGUST 2009, MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES (MCI) SUBMITTED A SERVICE BULLETIN/PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT NOTICEDISCUSSING D-SERIES COACHES WITH PRE-2007 DETROIT S60 ENGINES IN WHICH THE STARTER CABLE MAY CHAFE AGAINST ENGINE BRACKETS AND/OR MOVEMENT WITHIN THE CABLE CLAMPS.THE STIPULATED CORRECTIVE ACTION IS TO REPLACE THE CABLE AND INSTALL ADDITIONAL CLAMPS.ODI PLACES A HIGH PRIORITY ON POTENTIAL THERMAL EVENTS FOR ANY REASON IN MOTOR COACHES. THEREFORE, AN INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED.WITH THE ADVENT OF THE EPA 2007 ENGINE DESIGN,MCI IMPROVED THE STARTER CABLE ASSEMBLY.MCI CHANGED TO A HIGHER LOAD FLEX CABLE TO REDUCE THE LOADING BOTH INTO THE STARTER CABLE TERMINAL AND THE CLAMPING.FOR COACHES WITH 2006 (PRE-2007 DETROIT S60) AND EARLIER ENGINE COMBINATIONS, MCI BECAME AWARE OF A FEW REPORTS INVOLVING CABLE CHAFING FROM FLEETS USING AFTERMARKET CLAMPS.MCI SUBSEQUENTLY DECIDED TO RELEASE A NEW INSTALLATION DESIGN FOR AFTER MARKET SERVICE ON THE PRE-2007 ENGINE. IN LIGHT OF OUR CONCERNS, MCI HAS DECIDED TO SEND OUT A NEW SERVICE BULLETIN MAKING OWNERS AWARE THAT THERE ARE SPECIFIC CLAMPS FOR USE ON THE STARTER CABLES AND INCORRECT AFTERMARKET CLAMPS SHOULD NOT BE USED. A COPY OF THE TSB WILL BE ATTACHED TO THIS RESUME UPON RECEIPT.BASED ON MCI'S DATA, ODI FIELD INSPECTIONS AND FURTHER REVIEW OF THIS ISSUE, A SAFETY RELATED DEFECT TREND DOES NOT EXIST AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF THE AGENCY RESOURCES ARE 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 REPORTSAND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IF INDICATED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE09-043. 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.
MCI
All MCI 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE09-043
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.