NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE14-013: Clutch Interlock Switch Malfunction
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE14-013 on May 19, 2014 and closed it on December 23, 2014. NHTSA's investigations file lists 4 models from 2 makes for it and links recall 14V-795 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE14-013 (also written PE14013)
- 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 December 23, 2014
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC); Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
- Components
- Electrical System — Ignition — Switch; Power Train — Clutch Assembly
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 14V-795: Clutch Ignition Interlock Switch, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 4 models from 2 makes, including the Dodge Ram 2500 and Dodge Ram 3500
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-013.
On December 16, 2104, Chrysler Group LLC submitted a Safety Recall Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the clutch ignition interlock switches in approximately 66,819 model year (MY) 2006 through early-2007 Dodge Ram Trucks, Dodge Dakota, and Mitsubishi Raider vehicles equipped with manual transmissions and built between July 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006 (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-795, Chrysler Recall No. P80), including 38,969 MY 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 vehicles that are part of the subject vehicle population for PE14-013.
Chrysler's Safety Report states that:1) the clutch ignition interlock switch return springs may experience fatigue failure due to material issues; 2) if the return springs are broken, the switch contacts may not reflect actual clutch pedal position; and 3) the failures could result in a vehicle experiencing unintended movement if the ignition is cranked when the clutch pedal is not being pressed.
Chrysler's recall remedy will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch on all affected vehicles with a switch with a more robust design.
On May 19, 2014, ODI opened PE14-013 to investigate clutch ignition interlock failure in MY 2004 through 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks with manual transmissions, based on two MY 2006 complaints and one MY 2004 complaint.
One of the MY 2006 complaints involved a fatality that occurred when a young child was able to start a MY 2006 Ram 3500 truck that was parked with the transmission in gear, without depressing the clutch.
The diesel engine started and the vehicle moved forward under power running over another child resulting in fatal injuries.
ODI's analysis of failure data from all sources identified a total of 14 complaints and 16 warranty claims for the subject vehicles.
Thirteen (13) of the complaints and all 16 warranty claims were for the 38,969 MY 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks that were included in 14V-795.
The single complaint that was outside the scope of Chrysler's recall was the MY 2004 ODI complaint identified in the opening resume for PE14-013.
Further analysis of this incident indicates that the cause of the clutch switch failure in this vehicle was spring damage caused by hydraulic fluid leakage from the clutch master cylinder into the switch.
The field data did not show any other similar incidents of switch failures caused by clutch master cylinder leakage. This investigation is closed based on Chrysler's recall.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-013. 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.
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 PE14-013
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.