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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE87-054: TRUNK FIRES

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE87-054 on September 4, 1987 and closed it on February 8, 1988. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Cadillac Deville and Fleetwood for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE87-054 (also written PE87054)
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 February 8, 1988
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Component
Structure
Vehicles and equipment
Cadillac Deville and Fleetwood

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 PE87-054.

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THE REAR EXHAUST SYSTEM RESONATORS HAVE A VERY SHORTSERVICE LIFE, USUALLY RUPTURING ON THE END, VERY NEAR THE FLOOR OF THETRUNK.HOT EXHAUST GASES FROM THE BLOWN RESONATOR REPORTEDLY GET THEFLOOR OF THE TRUNK SO HOT THAT FIRES HAVE RESULTED.PROPOSED ACTION:OPEN A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS===

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE87-054. 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.

Cadillac

All Cadillac recalls

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.

Cadillac VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE87-054

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.