NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE14-022: Alternator failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE14-022 on July 22, 2014 and closed it on November 6, 2014. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2011–2012 Dodge Charger for it and links recall 14V-634 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE14-022 (also written PE14022)
- 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 November 6, 2014
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Electrical System — Alternator/Generator/Regulator
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 14V-634: Alternator may Fail Resulting in Engine Stall, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2011–2012 Dodge Charger
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-022.
On July 22, 2014, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-022 to investigate 14 complaints (VOQs) alleging incidents of alternator failure resulting in engine stall while driving in model year (MY) 2011 through 2012 Dodge Charger vehicles.
The MY 2011 through 2012 Dodge Charger vehicles were sold with three different engine options:1) 3.6L V6 (VIN8 = G), 88,766 vehicles; 2) 5.7L V8 (VIN8 = T), 38,615 vehicles; and 3) 6.4L V8 (VIN8 = J), 2,406 MY 2012 vehicles.
The 14 VOQs identified in the PE14-022 opening resume involve 13 vehicles with 3.6L V6 engines and 1 vehicle with unknown engine (no VIN provided).
In an October 7, 2014 letter to NHTSA, Chrysler described a safety defect condition that could result in rapid alternator failure having limited or no detection in approximately 434,581 MY 2011 through 2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines and 160 amp alternators (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-634, Chrysler P60).
The subject alternators are used in vehicles equipped with 3.6L V6 engines and without towing packages.
According to Chrysler, the silicone diodes in the alternator rectifier bridge may experience thermal fatigue due to cyclic loading from the Electric Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS) system, eventually resulting in no output, reduced output, or a fully shorted to ground condition.
These failure modes vary in their time to failure and warning to the driver.
Depending on the failure mode and timing, system voltage may drop to critically low levels, disabling systems such as the Anti-lock Brake System/Electronic Stability Control, Engine Control Module/Central Body Controller, or a total vehicle electrical system shut down (in the event of a short to ground failure mode).
Analysis of complaints to ODI and Chrysler identified a total of 146 incidents of alternator failure resulting in engine stall while driving in MY 2011 through 2012 Dodge Charger vehicles, including 142 involving vehicles equipped with the 3.6L V6 engines (1.6 IPTV) that were included in 14V-634 and 4 involving vehicles with 5.7L V8 engines (0.1 IPTV), which are equipped with different alternators.
Analysis of all alternator failure complaints found that approximately 48 percent of VOQs and 21 percent of Chrysler complaints involved allegations of engine stall.
Many (98) complaints reported fire and/or smoke, but analysis of these determined that they involved thermal damage to the alternator diode and did not identify any incidents involving damage beyond the alternator assembly.
One VOQ identified in the opening resume for PE14-022 alleged a crash, but further evaluation determined that this involved a minor rear-end impact with slight bumper damage.
This investigation is closed based on Chrysler's decision to conduct a safety recall.
The VOQs associated with this investigation are:10641479,10641366,10641349,10642017,10640770,10640687,10640553,10639692,10638810,10638356,10638175,10638143,10637460,10633806,10633304,10632943,10632006,10631704,10631613,10631420,10631088,10630991,10630854,10630844,10630108,10629623,10629603,10628228,10628150,10627941,10627342,10626452,10626254,10625962,10622385,10622340,10621603,10620961,10619481,10618950,10618948,10618539,10618476,10618334,10618081,10618107,10616834,10616461,10616456,10615754,10615719,10606580,10605090,10604958,10597295,10592085,10588675,10587141,10562463,10559730,10511407
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-022. 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.
Dodge
All Dodge 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.
Dodge VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE14-022
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.