NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE11-002: Fuel Leak

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE11-002 on January 11, 2011 and closed it on March 17, 2011. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2005–2007 Sterling L-Line for it and links recall 11V-136 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE11-002 (also written PE11002)
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 March 17, 2011
Opened: January 11, 2011
Closed: March 17, 2011
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
Component: Fuel System, Diesel
Recall linked by NHTSA: 11V-136: LOW PRESSURE FUEL LINE, reported February 25, 2011
Vehicles and equipment: 2005–2007 Sterling L-Line

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE11-002.

ODI gathered information from four auto hauler fleets during its investigation.

At least five of the fleets' vehicles were damaged or completely destroyed by a fire caused by a leak in low pressure fuel line.

The fleets reported numerous other failures that spilled large quantities of diesel fuel on roadways and disabled tractor trailers.

Daimler Trucks North America submitteda recall notice on 24 February 2011.

Daimler's announcement of a safety recall on this matter addresses ODI's concerns.

The 573 letter was received prior to the due date of the IR response, therefore Daimler has been relieved from having to submit an IR response.

Daimler will replace the upper and lower low pressure fuel lines with a more robust line.

The exact remedy and replacement parts are not yet finalized.

Daimler will be submitting a supplemental report when the information is available.

ODI will closely monitor the remedy to ensure it is adequate.

The subject vehicles have been recalled, therefore this investigation is closed.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE11-002. 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.

Sterling

Sterling L-Line
- 2005, 2006, 2007

All Sterling 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 PE11-002

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.