NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE13-022: Parking Brake Failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-022 on June 20, 2013 and closed it on October 30, 2013. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2013 Pierce Arrow for it and links recall 13V-435 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE13-022 (also written PE13022)
- 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 October 30, 2013
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Pierce Manufacturing
- Components
- Parking Brake — Conventional — Air; Parking Brake — Conventional — Mechanical; Parking Brake — Conventional — Mechanical — Linkage and Cable; Parking Brake — Driveline; Parking Brake — Driveline — Air; Parking Brake — Driveline — Air — Chamber
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 13V-435: Parking Brake May Not Activate, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2013 Pierce Arrow
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE13-022.
On June 20th, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation on 2013 Pierce Arrow fire trucks based on a single Vehicle Owners Questionnaire (VOQ #10512931), which reported five unique allegations of parking brake failures.
The VOQ indicated that while the parking brake was activated, the fire trucks unexpectedly started to roll.
On July 1st, 2013, an ODI investigator met with Pierce field engineers at an authorized Pierce facility located in Maryland to duplicate the alleged failure.
The Pierce field engineers were able to duplicate the issue and pinpoint the failure mechanism.
A quarter turn ball valve installed between the glad hands connector and the parking brake can cause a restriction and build up of air pressure in the parking brake circuit.
This increased air pressure can prevent the application of the spring-loaded parking brake allowing the truck to roll when the operator believes the parking brake is applied As a corrective action, Pierce will remove the quarter turn ball valve and reconnect the glad hand signal hose into the primary air tank.
This Preliminary Evaluation has been closed with a safety recall (13V435).
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE13-022. 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.
Pierce
Pierce Arrow
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 PE13-022
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.