NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE18-011: Power tailgate opens unintended
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-011 on October 12, 2018 and closed it on December 12, 2019. NHTSA's investigations file lists 6 Ford models for it and links recall 19V-864 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE18-011 (also written PE18011)
- 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 12, 2019
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Components
- Electrical System — Wiring; Structure — Body — Tailgate — Hinge and Attachments
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 19V-864: Tailgate May Open Unexpectedly, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 6 Ford models, including the F-250 and F-250 SD
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE18-011.
By letter dated December 4, 2019, Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of a safety defect that may exist in model years (MY) 2017 through 2019 Ford Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450 vehicles equipped with an electric tailgate. Following the receipt of five consumer complaints alleging unintended tailgate opening without vehicle operator knowledge, while the vehicles were in motion, NHTSA opened this investigation to assess the manufacturer's data including warranty claims, field reports, design changes, etc.
In vehicles equipped with an electric tailgate, water can enter the electrical wiring system and may cause a short circuit resulting in the unintended activation and release of the tailgate latch. This could allow unintended opening of the tailgate while the vehicle is in motion.
Analysis of the data provided by Ford found that the frequency of a tailgate opening unintended was high in vehicles equipped with electric tailgates. Unintended tailgate opening without vehicle operator knowledge may result in loss of unrestrained cargo, increasing the risk of a crash. In response to this investigation, Ford decided to conduct recall 19V-864.
Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford dealer to modify the tailgate/frame wiring harnesses by adding jumper pigtails to isolate the tailgate release control circuits, and will install a new tailgate handle release switch. With recall action 19V-864 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.
The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 10984283,11004227,11082643,11090089,11104638,11115381,11140680,11141071, 11141075,11141174,11141200,11141331,11141447,11141547,11141548,11142572, 11142618,11142657,11153541,11153959,11157225,11160936,11165124,11165590, 11166199,11166802,11170049,11171409,11171509,11171685,11180009,11182035, 11186146,11191151,11191353,11193045,11194958,11203615,11206443,11209199, 11229482,11230768,11233349,11233436,11255126,11265643.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE18-011. 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 PE18-011
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.