NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE96-054: CNG FUEL TANK EXPLOSION
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE96-054 on September 3, 1996 and closed it on September 26, 1996. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1996 Neoplan AN440 for it and links recall 96V-183 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE96-054 (also written PE96054)
- 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 September 26, 1996
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- NEOPLAN USA CORPORATION
- Component
- Vehicle Speed Control — Linkages
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 96V-183: NEOPLAN/CNG FUEL TANKS, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1996 Neoplan AN440
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE96-054.
NHTSA RECEIVED CALLS FROM BOTH NEOPLAN AND THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION REPORTING THE EXPLOSION OF A FUEL TANK ON A CNG POWERED TRANSIT BUS.NO FIRE OR INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED DURING REFUELING.THE FUEL TANKS USED ON THE SUBJECT BUSES ARE CARBON COMPOSITE GRAPHITE, MANUFACTURED BY EDO CANADA, LTD.THE LOS ANGELES MTA HAS GROUNDED IT FLEET UNTIL THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE DETERMINED AND CORRECTED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE96-054. 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.
Neoplan
Neoplan AN440
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 PE96-054
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.