NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE11-039: Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE11-039 on December 21, 2011 and closed it on April 27, 2012. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE11-039 (also written PE11039)
- 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 April 27, 2012
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Components
- Latches/Locks/Linkages; Seats; Seats — Mid/Rear Assembly; Structure; Structure — Body
- Vehicles and equipment
- Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey
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 PE11-039.
ODI has received 18 complaints on the subject vehicles from the salt belt states that allege severe corrosion at the rear wheel wells.
Additionally, ODI identified 4 similar reports from Ford's response to the investigation.
Ford submitted a total of 10 reports to ODI (6 of 10 Ford reports are duplicates of ODI reports).
The complaints indicated difficulty or inability to latch the rear seat as some of the complaints reported the entire anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle (rear wheel well).
The first report of this condition was received in March 2011 and subsequent reporting frequency indicates a potentially increasing trend over time.
ODI seeks to evaluate the potential occupant safety risks resulting from structurally degraded seat anchorages.
In addition to the subject vehicles, ODI also will collect and review information on MY 2005-2007 Freestar/Monterey vehicles that appear to have a seat design identical to the subject vehicles.
To date, ODI is not aware of any similar complaints on the MY 2005-2007 vehicles.
ODI also will collect and review information on Freestar/Monterey vehicles used outside of the salt belt states.
This Preliminary Evaluation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA12-003) to further assess whether a safety defect exists in the subject vehicles.
The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10454977, 10453826, 10452933, 10450587, 10450559, 10450295, 10446564, 10442809, 10441641, 10441489, 10440616, 10438529, 10436592, 10433928, 10424850, 10420028, 10410491 and 10399896.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE11-039. 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.
Ford
Ford Freestar
Mercury
Mercury Monterey
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 PE11-039
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.