NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ06-009: FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ06-009 on December 14, 2006 and closed it on April 18, 2007, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA07-006, which this investigation's summary cites. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Buick Rendezvous and Pontiac Aztek for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ06-009 (also written RQ06009)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Closed April 18, 2007
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Components
- Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Tank Assembly; Fuel System, Gasoline — Storage — Tank Assembly — Filler Pipe and Cap
- Vehicles and equipment
- Buick Rendezvous and Pontiac Aztek
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 Recall Query RQ06-009.
CERTAIN SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT LEAKAGE OF ODOR AND/OR FUELFROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE FUEL TANK INLET FILLER PIPE (INLET CHECK VALVE).
THE INLET CHECK VALVE (ICV) AND THE FUEL TANK ARE JOINED TOGETHER USING A HOT PLATE WELDING PROCESS FOR PLASTIC PARTS.GM REPORTS THAT ITS ANALYSIS OF FIELD RETURNED PARTS SHOW EVIDENCE OF PROCESS VARIATIONS FOR DIFFERENT MANUFACTURING PERIODS.THESE VARIATIONS PRODUCED SOME ICV TO FUEL TANK JOINTS WITH POOR MELT FLOW LINES.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF GM'S WARRANTY CLAIM DATA FINDS MORE FREQUENT FUEL TANK REPLACEMENTS IN THE HOTTER CLIMATE STATES.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA07-006) TO FURTHER ASSESS THIS MATTER.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ06-009. 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.
Buick
All Buick recallsPontiac
All Pontiac 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for RQ06-009
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.