NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE99-074: STEERING WHEEL/SHAFT SPLINE ATTACHMENT
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE99-074 on December 13, 1999 and closed it on February 24, 2000. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2000 Dodge Durango for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE99-074 (also written PE99074)
- 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 24, 2000
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Steering
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2000 Dodge Durango
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE99-074.
THIS PE WAS OPENED BASED ON ODI'S RECEIPT OF ONE COMPLAINT OF STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ALLEGEDLY (THAT IS, ACCORDING TO THE REPAIRING FACILITY'S SERVICE MANAGER) THE HUB NUT WAS NEVER INSTALLED ON THE SHAFT SPLINE.ALTHOUGH THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, HE/SHE WAS ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT IMPACTING ANYTHING.BASED ON OUR INVESTIGATION AND THE MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSE, ODI IS CLOSING THIS INVESTIGATION BECAUSE THE SINGLE KNOWN COMPLAINT APPEARS TO BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.FURTHER, CHRYSLER HAS NO OTHER WARRANTY CLAIMS AND HAS NOT ISSUED ANY SERVICE BULLETINS.IN SUMMARY, A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.ODI WILL CONTTINUE TO MONITOR THIS MATTER CLOSELY, AND THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THESE MODELS IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE99-074. 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
Dodge Durango
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.
Dodge VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE99-074
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.