NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE96-001: REAR WHEEL SEPARATION
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE96-001 on January 4, 1996 and closed it on May 31, 1996. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Chevrolet Caprice and Impala for it and links recall 96V-245 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE96-001 (also written PE96001)
- 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 31, 1996
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Component
- Suspension
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 96V-245: GENERAL MOTORS/WHEEL LUG NUTS, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Chevrolet Caprice and Impala
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE96-001.
INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM GM INDICATES THAT FURTHER INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF WHEEL SEPARATIONS IS WARRANTED.IN GM'S RESPONSE DATED APRIL 26, 1996, GM STATED THAT:GM HAS NOT IDENTIFIED ANY DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHIH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO WHEEL SEPARATION.INVESTIGATION AS TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHEEL SEPARATIONS IS CONTINUING.THE RESULTS OF THESE FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO ASSESS THE PROBABILITY OF ANY FUTURE INCIDENTS . . .
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE96-001. 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.
Chevrolet
All Chevrolet recallsWhat 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.
Chevrolet VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE96-001
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.