Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | ||||||
| PE07052 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/19/2007 | 02/21/2008 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | ||
| Complainants allege that a fire erupted under the hood, near the front of the vehicle.in chrysler's response to odi's november 2, 2007 information request, chrysler asserts that the alleged defect occurs only in the 4.0l engines and the consumer will experience a loss of power steering fluid or a noisy power steering pump before seeing any evidence of smoke or fire.chrysler also states that a tube nut on the high pressure power steering line was discovered to be cross threaded during the assembly process and did not allow proper sealing of the o-ring.the power steering system in the 4.0l engine is assembled at the chrysler plant.the power steering system for the 3.8l engines arrives at the chrysler plant pre-assembled.chrysler found that in the 4.0l engine, it was possible to cross-thread the tube nut on the high pressure line during its attachment to the steering gear, thus creating an improper seal.chrysler implemented assembly plant process changes to eliminate the possibility of cross-threading, and applied additional quality control measures to detect power steering fluid leaks.chrysler stated that warranty and field data suggests that these process changes have minimized the possibility of cross-threading.with regard to the vehicles produced prior to the production change, a review of the warranty claims indicates that the alleged defect has not declined in the 4.0l population.odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis, ea08-006, to further evaluate the issue. | ||||||
| EA08006 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 02/21/2008 | 04/15/2009 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | ||
| The agency has closed this investigation based on its review of consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims and other data regarding engine compartment fires and power steering fluid leakage in model year (my) 2007 chrysler pacifica vehicles with 4.0l engines.the available evidence indicates that power steering fluid leaks in the subject vehicles and the fires that may result from these leaks, occurred early in the vehicle's service life.moreover, changes in the assembly process appear to have remedied the condition causing the leaks.the available data confirms a declining trend for both complaints and warranty claims as the subject vehicles remain in service. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. (see document file for additional information regarding this resume.) | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 02/25/2013 | 35000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica awd. the contact stated that she was having routine maintenance performed at an independent mechanic when she was advised that the rear drive shaft was leaking. the manufacturer was notified and informed her that there was no recall for the failure and to take the vehicle to her local dealer for diagnosis. an appointment with the dealer was scheduled. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 35,000. kmj | |||
| 08/28/2007 | 1200 | 1 | 08/09/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica awd. while driving approximately 5 mph, the power steering suddenly failed and smoke began to rise from under the hood. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the contact has not heard from them to know the condition of his vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 1,200. phone interview update (october 3): drove for 20 miles, steering then acted abnormal. while parking, my wife noticed smoke from under the hood. then the vehicle caught fire under the driver side of the hood near the front. there was a trail of fluid on the ground. the complainant believes that power steering fluid leaked and ignited. no after-market items were installed in vehicle. no accessories were used at the time of fire. a chrysler representative took a report over the phone and chrysler paid me for the vehicle. | |||