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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE88-027: HEADLAMP SWITCH FAILURE

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE88-027 on February 9, 1988 and closed it on May 11, 1988. NHTSA's investigations file lists 17 models from 5 makes for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE88-027 (also written PE88027)
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 May 11, 1988
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Component
Exterior Lighting
Vehicles and equipment
17 models from 5 makes, including the Buick Century and Buick Lesabre

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE88-027. 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.

Buick

All Buick recalls

Cadillac

  • Cadillac Cimarron

    • 1984, 1985
All Cadillac recalls

Chevrolet

All Chevrolet recalls

Oldsmobile

  • Oldsmobile 88

  • Oldsmobile Calais

    • 1984, 1985

  • Oldsmobile Ciera

  • Oldsmobile Firenza

    • 1984, 1985
All Oldsmobile recalls

Pontiac

  • Pontiac 2000

    • 1984, 1985

  • Pontiac 6000

    • 1984, 1985

  • Pontiac Grand Am

  • Pontiac Parisienne

    • 1984, 1985
All Pontiac 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.

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

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE88-027

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.