NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE99-032: Uncontrolled Engine Speed
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE99-032 on May 5, 1999 and closed it on June 23, 1999. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Caterpillar (model not given) for it and links recalls 99E-021 and 99V187001 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE99-032 (also written PE99032)
- 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 June 23, 1999
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Caterpillar, Inc.
- Component
- Engine and Engine Cooling
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- Vehicles and equipment
- Caterpillar (model not given)
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE99-032.
On April 21, 1999, a local school bus fleet administrator contacted ODI alleging that one of their buses was involved in an engine run-away incident.
After inspecting the bus and finding the governor link separated from the track bar due to a retaining rivet failure, ODI interviewed the driver.
She claimed she was able to stop the bus after shifting to neutral but still had no control over engine speed which remained quite high.
In fact, her loss of engine control was complete...she could not even shut it down.
Ultimately it quit due to overheating.
We found a relevant Caterpillar Technical Information Bulletin dated April 22, 1998 concerning Loose Rivet in Rack Control Assembly.
The rivet involved in the school bus incident and Caterpillar's bulletin are one and the same.
However, the bulletin mentions nothing about the potential for engine run-away due to a rivet failure.
According to the company, the apparent cause for the rivet failure was compromised quality control of the peening process during manufacture of the control assembly.
Evaluation of failure data demonstrates the quality control problem began in April 1996.
Caterpillar implemented a new peening process on March 25, 1998 and no rivet failures have occurred since.
This investigation was closed on June 23, 1999 with Caterpillar's safety recall.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE99-032. 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.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar (model not given)
- model year not given
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 PE99-032
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.