NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE87-030: STEERING BINDING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE87-030 on May 12, 1987 and closed it on August 24, 1987. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE87-030 (also written PE87030)
- 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 August 24, 1987
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Steering
- Vehicles and equipment
- Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE87-030.
BASED ON AN ODI FAILURE REPORT ANALYSIS SHOWING 6 COMPLAINTS, 4 ACCIDENTSAND 3 INUJURIES, A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WAS OPENED AND AN INFORMATIONREQUEST WAS SENT TO FORD.SUBSEQUENTLY, ODI RECEIVED 4 ADDITIONAL COM-PLAINTS.FURTHER INFORMATION WAS DEVELOPED WHICH LED TO DELETION OF 4COMPLAINTS AND THE ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES.IN ONE OF THE ACCIDENTS, THEPOLICE REPORT CITED THE DRIVER FOR INATTENTION TO DRIVING AND IN ANOTHERTHE POLICE REPORT CITED THE DRIVER FOR FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY.IN THETHIRD REPORT IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ALLEGATION WAS FOR STEERING SEPARATIONAND NOT BINDING.TWO OTHER COMPLAINTS WERE EVALUATED AS NOT BEING RELATEDTO THE STEERING BINDING WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS INQUIRY.FORD'S RESPONSE TO THE INFORMATION REQUEST DISCLOSED THAT THE COMPANY HADBEEN AWARE OF A CONDITION DESCRIBED AS TEMPORARY LOSS OF ASSISTANCE(TLA) IN STEERING IN EARLY PRODUCTION OF THE TAURUS/SABLE NAMEPLATES.SIGNIFICANTLY, FORD FIELD REPRESENTATIVES SENT 167 REPORTS TO FORD'S===
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE87-030. 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.
Ford
Ford Taurus
Mercury
Mercury Sable
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 PE87-030
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.