NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE97-043: CLUTCH HYDRAULIC LINE FAILURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE97-043 on October 20, 1997 and closed it on February 27, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1996–1997 Dodge Ram for it and links recall 99V-115 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE97-043 (also written PE97043)
- 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 27, 1998
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 99V-115: DAIMLERCHRYSLER/HYDRAULIC CLUTCH LINE, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1996–1997 Dodge Ram
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE97-043.
ALLEGED CLUTCH LINE MAY MELT AND LEAK HYDRAULIC FLUID IN THE VICINITY OF THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD.LEAKED HYDRAULIC FLUID COULD IGNITE AND CAUSE A VEHICLE FIRE.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE97-043. 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.
Dodge
All Dodge 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.
Dodge VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE97-043
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.