NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE99-060: FACTORY INSTALLED TOWING HITCH SEPARATIO

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE99-060 on September 27, 1999 and closed it on March 8, 2000. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator for it and links recall 00V-073 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE99-060 (also written PE99060)
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 March 8, 2000
Opened: September 27, 1999
Closed: March 8, 2000
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Component: Equipment
Recall linked by NHTSA: 00V-073: FORD/TRAILER HITCH ASSEMBLY, reported March 7, 2000
Vehicles and equipment: Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE99-060.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1999 BASED ON FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING THAT SOME OF THE EIGHT HITCH MOUNTING BOLTS EITHER BECAME LOOSE OR CAME COMPLETELY OUT OF ITS RETAINING PLATE.ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS INDICATED THAT WHILE TOWIG A TRAILER THE HITCH ACTUALLY SEPARATED FROM THE FRAME ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE FOUR MOUNTING BOLTS ON THAT SIDE CAME COMPLETELY OUT. THIS ALLOWED THE HITCH AND TRAILER TO CONTACT THE ROAD SURFACE.IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE AGENCY, FORD PROVIDED INFORMATION REGARDING NINE ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF LOOSE OR MISSING BOLTS, TWO OF THOSE ALLEGING SEPARATION OF THE HITCH ON ONE SIDE.THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF VEHICLE CRSHES, INJURIES, OR A COMPLETE SEPARATION OF A HITCH ASSEMBLY.SCOPE:1997 THROURGH 2000 MODEL YEAR EXPEDITIONS AND 1998 THROUGH 2000 MODEL YEAR NAVIGATORS BUILT AT MICHIGAN TRUCH ASSEMBLLY PLANT FROM JULY 22,1 996 THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 1999.

DEFECT: LOSS OF CLAMPING LOAD OF HITCH ATTACHMENT BOLTS.REMEDY:THE HITCH MOUNTING BOLTS AND NUT PLATES WILL BE REPLACE WITH HIGHER STRENGTH BOLTS AND PLATES.ADDITIONALLY , THE TORQUE VALUE FOR THE MOUNTING BOLTS WILL BE INCREASED AND AN ADHESIVE WILL BE ADDED TO THE BOLTS.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE99-060. 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.

Ford

Ford Expedition
- 1997, 1998, 1999

All Ford recalls

Lincoln

Lincoln Navigator
- 1997, 1998, 1999

All Lincoln 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 PE99-060

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.