Pierce Custom Contender 2008

Model Custom Contender made in 2008 by Pierce got 14 investigations as well as 5 recalls. The car had some investigations: engine and engine cooling and fuel system, diesel. There were some recalls concerningelectrical system and electronic stability control.

Model 2008

Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE
12V523000PIERCE MANUFACTURINGfrom 12/26/2006 to 03/28/2008V (Vehicle)9ODIPierce Manufacturing10/31/201211/05/2012
Defect SummaryPierce is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 contender fire trucks manufactured from december 26, 2006, through march 28, 2008, equipped with a caterpillar c9 engine due to an engine software problem which can cause the engine's rpm's to surge while in pump mode.
Consequence SummaryThe surge can cause a fluctuation in water pressure from the fire hose and could result in personal injury.
Corrective SummaryPierce has already remedied all of the affected vehicles by updating the engine software, therefore, owner notifications will not be sent. owners may contact pierce at 1-920-832-3000.
NotesThis is pierce recall number 74b235.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL
11V527000PIERCE MANUFACTURINGfrom 12/19/2007 to 10/07/2011V (Vehicle)72412/16/2011MFRPIERCE MANUFACTURING11/01/201111/02/2011
Defect SummaryPierce manufacturing (pierce) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 arrow xtand velocity, model year 2008-2011 custom contender, impel, quantum and model year 2009-2011 saber emergency trucks, equipped with meritor wabco electronic stability control (esc) modules, manufactured from december 19, 2007, through october 7, 2011. under certain road and driving conditions, vehicle body roll and road inclination characteristics may adversely affect the slip angle calculation of the electronic stability control (esc) system. this might cause the esc to perceive an over steering situation and therefore apply the outer wheel brake on the front axle until the vehicle is perceived to be stable.
Consequence SummaryIf the driver is slow to react during this esc intervention, the vehicle may deviate from the intended line of travel, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective SummaryPierce is working with meritor wabco and will replace the control module free of charge. the safety recall is expected to begin on or before december 16, 2011. owners may contact meritor wabco at 1-248-435-8001 or pierce at 1-920-832-3000.
NotesThe nhtsa number assigned to the meritor wabco's recall is 11e-039.pierce's safety recall number is 74b226.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
09V389000PIERCE MANUFACTURINGfrom 04/01/2008 to 09/30/2009V (Vehicle)13109/04/2009MFRPIERCE MANUFACTURING10/06/200910/06/2009
Defect SummaryPierce is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2009 fire trucks manufactured between april 1, 2008 and september 30, 2009, equipped with cummins isb cm2150, isc cm2150, isl cm2150, ism cm876, and isx cm871 model diesel engines. the vehicles may be designed with a hard wired, dash-mounted switch that enables the vehicle operator to inhibit aftertreatment diesel particulate filter regeneration in environments where the operator believes it may be unsafe for elevated exhaust temperatures. due to an issue with the logic in the ecm software in these engines, the switch may not function correctly, leading the operator to believe that the switch is in inhibit mode when it is not.
Consequence SummaryThis condition will permit hot exhaust gases to exit the vehicle tailpipe, increasing the risk of melting or burning of nearby surfaces, or a fire.
Corrective SummaryPierce is working with cummins to repair the engines. cummins is conducting this campaign and will provide the remedy free of charge. please see cummins recall campaign 09e-046. the safety recall is expected to begin during october 2009. owners may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels (1-800-343-7357) or pierce at 1-920-832-3000.
NotesOwners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .
STEERING
09V203000PIERCE MANUFACTURINGfrom 01/01/2008 to 05/31/2009V (Vehicle)18507/02/2009MFRPIERCE MANUFACTURING06/08/200906/08/2009
Defect SummaryPierce is recalling 185 model year 2008 and 2009 custom fire trucks manufactured between january 1, 2008 and may 31, 2009, equipped with meritor wabco steering angle sensors (sas). internal friction can develop between the sensor gears and the sensor housing as a result of external forces experienced on the vehicle including vibration. if developed friction is great enough, the driving tab of the sas can shear as the driver turns the steering wheel.
Consequence SummaryWith a broken sas driving tab, the electronic stability control (esc) will not function properly, which could possibly result in a vehicle crash.
Corrective SummaryPierce will notify owners and the vehicles will be repaired free of charge. the safety recall began on july 2, 2009. owners may contact pierce at 1-920-832-3000.
NotesOwners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .
STRUCTURE - BODY - BUMPERS
10V300000PIERCE MANUFACTURINGfrom 02/20/2003 to 03/27/2009V (Vehicle)2509/30/2010MFRPIERCE MANUFACTURING06/28/201006/30/2010
Defect SummaryPierce is recalling certain model year 2003 through 2009 custom contender, dash, enforcer, impel, lance saber, and velocity fire trucks manufactured from february 20, 2003, through march 27, 2009. these trucks may be equipped with drop-down fire hose trays mounted under the front bumper. the hose tray latch may accidentally open while the vehicle is in motion.
Consequence SummaryIf this occurs the fire hose may drop to the roadway without warning. potential injury to people and property may occur. the sudden hose deployment may also distract drivers trying to avoid the hose and a crash may occur.
Corrective SummaryA new and improved latch design has been developed and a new hose box incorporating the new latch will be installed free of charge. the safety recall is expected to begin during september 2010. owner may contact pierce at 1-920-832-3000.
NotesPierce safety recall no. 39-0139830.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .

Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - FUEL FILTER
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
EA11008Pierce Manufacturing06/27/201111/09/2012Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb #10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the pip was intended to address engine rpms that could surge while the fire fighting vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause significant fluctuations in water pressure being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.caterpillar's pip provided information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on june 27, 2011 odi upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis.no information request (ir) letter was sent to pierce, instead a field inspection of a pierce fire truck was conducted.in august 2011 representatives from odi, the vehicle research and test center and pierce conducted an on-site fire truck performance inspection of a complaint vehicle in sherwood, arizona.the purpose was to jointly inspect a complaint vehicle that was recently outfitted with updated engine software.the sherwood fire truck engine was started and remained idling while the fire truck was set in water pumping mode.the representatives were able to witness the effects of the new software with regards to engine surge and verified that the alleged defect did not exist during this vehicle examination.the new engine software corrected the problem of fire hose pressure fluctuations in water being directed onto a fire.it was determined during the course of this investigation that the pip released by caterpillar and conducted on pierce vehicles should be submitted to nhtsa as a safety recall.during discussions with nhtsa, pierce was informed that nhtsa had authority over the safety of vehicles even when not in highway use.following these discussions, pierce agreed the pip should be released as a safety recall.this engineering analysis is closed with a safety recall (12v-523).
EA11008PIERCE MANUFACTURING06/27/2011Engine RPM's surging during pumping mode
 On january 10, 2011 the office of defects investigations (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe11-001) based on a product improvement program (pip) (odi tsb # 10036912) submitted by caterpillar dated august 18, 2010.the (pip) was for engine rpm's that could surge while the vehicle was in a water pumping mode.this engine surge could cause fluctuations in water pressure that is being directed onto a fire through a hose.the bulletin states that this condition in conjunction with other factors or circumstances could result in a risk of personal injury or death.the caterpillar's product improvement program released information involving the installation of new engine software on certain fire trucks with c9 engines.on april 11, 2011 odi received pierce's response to odi's information request (ir) letter.based on the information received, an odi investigator contacted several fleets and complainants regarding this defect and all parties contacted expressed concern related to the inherent danger involved with pressure oscillations in a fire hose.several fire fighters stated that the failures are continuing even after proposed software fixes have been performed per the pip. in a supplemental (ir) letter dated may 27, 2011 pierce identified a total population of 241 vehicles with the c9 engine from my 2006 - 2008. pierce also specified that they had identified 15 unique complaints coupled with 2 complaints from caterpillar; totaling 17 consumer complaints.these consumer complaints were for my 2006 through 2008 fire trucks.pierce had 2 warranty claims while caterpillar had 19 warranty claims, totaling 21 warranty claims for this investigation.odi notes that the complaints applied to 5 vehicles and the warranty claims applied to 5 different vehicles (based on vin).there were multiple complaints or claims on one vehicle in some cases.an odi investigator spoke with a fire chief in sherwood, ar who alleged a caterpillar representative, on several occasions, came to his fire house to fix the problem of engine surge while in water pumping mode.the caterpillar tech installed several updates to modify the software which communicates with the engine and its fueling strategies (i.e. idle function).allegedly, after each attempt to fix the problem, a fire fighter would alert the fire chief that the problem still existed in spite of constant updates.the result of this malfunction puts fire fighters at risk. odi believes that when firemen are working to extinguish a fire and in the effort to save lives, there is zero tolerance for a defective, pressure surging and improperly functional fire hose.pierce claims that this alleged safety defect can have the potential to cause injury and may even result in the death of the firefighter.odi deems it is vital to the mission of all emergency response vehicles that the intended equipment must work as designed, without compromise.further investigation is warranted to ascertain the scope of this alleged safety defect.this engineering analysis is opened.