NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE18-010: Internal transmission failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-010 on August 21, 2018 and closed it on July 16, 2019. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Ford models for it and links recall 19V-432 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE18-010 (also written PE18010)
- 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 July 16, 2019
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Power Train — Automatic Transmission
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 19V-432: Transmission Failure And Loss of Drive Power, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 Ford models, including the Econoline and E-350
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE18-010.
By letter dated June 10, 2019, Ford Motor Company notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of a safety defect that may exist in certain model year (MY) 2009 through 2016 Ford Econoline vehicles equipped with a 5R110W transmission. Following the receipt of consumer complaints alleging transmission failures in vehicles built with a 5R110W transmission, NHTSA opened this investigation to assess the manufacturer's data including warranty claims, field reports, design changes, etc.
Vehicles equipped with a 5R110W transmission contain a capacitive discharge weld within a coast clutch component in the transmission. A substandard weld may fatigue and fail, causing an elevated rate of loss of motive power in subject vehicle applications. Reports indicate that most of the weld failures occur when the torque is highest, which is when the driver attempts to accelerate from a stop.
Analysis of the data provided by Ford Motor Company found that the risk of a transmission failure is very high in vehicles equipped with the combination of a W-MOD 5.4L SOHC EFI NA V8 G-NP engine and a 5R110W transmission. This vehicle population mainly consists of school buses and ambulances. A loss of mobility in school bus applications may result in the transfer of children when the vehicle is immobilized in a roadway, and a loss of vehicle mobility in ambulance applications may result in the delay of patient treatment.
In response to this investigation, Ford Motor Company agreed to conduct recall 19V-432. Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the coast clutch cylinder replaced and to replace the single-engaging coast one-way clutch with a dual-engaging one-way clutch. With recall action 19V-432 taken by Ford Motor Company this investigation is closed. Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.
The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist on other model or MY vehicles outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE18-010. 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.
Ford VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE18-010
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.