Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition, DP20-002, 62494-62496 [2022-22394]

Agencies

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 198 (Friday, October 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62494-62496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22394]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2020-0071]


Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition, DP20-002

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Denial of a petition for a defect investigation.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the reasons for the denial of a defect 
petition, DP20-002, submitted by Mr. V.T. Wakefield (the Petitioner) to 
NHTSA (the Agency) by a letter dated December 12, 2019. The petition

[[Page 62495]]

requested that the Agency initiate a safety defect investigation of 
passenger compartment fires attributed to HVAC blower motor connectors 
overheating in Model Year (MY) 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn 
Sky vehicles (the ``subject vehicles''). After conducting a technical 
review of: (1) consumer complaints identified by the petitioner; (2) 
consumer complaint information in NHTSA's databases; and (3) 
information provided by General Motors (GM) in response to the Agency's 
information request regarding vehicle fires and complaints received by 
GM, NHTSA's Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) has concluded that 
the issues raised by the petition do not warrant a defect 
investigation. Accordingly, the Agency has denied the petition.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alexander Argant, Vehicle Defect 
Division A, Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-8787. Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    Interested persons may petition NHTSA requesting that the Agency 
initiate an investigation to determine whether a motor vehicle or an 
item of replacement equipment does not comply with an applicable motor 
vehicle safety standard or contains a defect that relates to motor 
vehicle safety. 49 U.S.C. 30162(a)(2); 49 CFR 552.1. Upon receipt of a 
properly filed petition, the Agency conducts a technical review of the 
petition, material submitted with the petition and any additional 
information. 49 U.S.C. 30162(a)(2); 49 CFR 552.6. The technical review 
may consist solely of a review of information already in the possession 
of the Agency or it may include the collection of information from the 
motor vehicle manufacturer and/or other sources. After conducting the 
technical review and considering appropriate factors, which may 
include, but are not limited to, the nature of the complaint, 
allocation of Agency resources, Agency priorities, the likelihood of 
uncovering sufficient evidence to establish the existence of a defect 
and the likelihood of success in any necessary enforcement litigation, 
the Agency will grant or deny the petition. See 49 U.S.C. 30162(a)(2); 
49 CFR 552.8.

Background Information

    In a letter dated December 12, 2019, the petitioner, Mr. V.T. 
Wakefield, requested that NHTSA initiate an investigation into 
passenger compartment fires in Model Years (MY) 2006-2010 Saturn Sky 
and Pontiac Solstice vehicles. The petitioner alleged the fires were 
caused by the overheating of the HVAC blower motor connector. The 
petitioner further alleged that Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice 
vehicles experience the same electrical problem (overheating HVAC 
blower resistor) addressed by NHTSA Safety Recall 15V-421, which 
involved MY2006-2010 Hummer H3 and 2009-2010 Hummer H3T vehicles. The 
petitioner's complaint reported that the affected parts in the Sky and 
Solstice vehicles are identical to those covered by Recall 15V-421.
    NHTSA has based its decision on a review of the material cited by 
the petitioner in his complaint and petition, information submitted by 
GM in response to the Agency's information request letter, and other 
pertinent information in NHTSA's databases.

Summary of the Petition

    The petitioner alleges that MY2006-2010 Saturn Sky and Pontiac 
Solstice vehicles can pose a fire risk due to the overheating of the 
HVAC blower motor connectors. The petitioner cites the fact the Sky and 
Solstice vehicles use the same blower motor parts as the Hummer H3 and 
H3T vehicles that were recalled under Safety Recall 15V-421 for a 
potential fire risk.
    GM filed Safety Recall 15V-421 on June 15, 2015 to remedy the 
connector module that controls the blower motor speed in the HVAC 
system of MY2006-2010 Hummer H3 and 2009-2010 Hummer H3T vehicles. The 
module may overheat under extended operational periods at high and 
medium-high blower speeds in those vehicles. The recall followed eleven 
(11) related fires affecting a fleet of 165,000 vehicles with five to 
ten years of time in service.

Office of Defects Investigation Analysis

    An analysis of General Motors (GM) complaint data and information 
in NHTSA's databases identified thirteen unique vehicle identification 
numbers (VINs) with reported incidents that could pertain to blower 
motor overheating, smoking, or melting in the 90,938 MY2006-2010 Saturn 
Sky and Pontiac Solstice vehicles produced. Two of the thirteen cited 
incidents reported smoke and thermal damage that may be attributed to 
the HVAC blower motor although neither incident was confirmed through 
vehicle inspection. One incident was with a MY2008 Saturn Sky that had 
substantial field exposure including a frontal crash that occurred one 
month prior to the August 2017 thermal incident. The Saturn Sky thermal 
incident was reported as plastic dripping from the dash and a fire in 
the carpet. A root cause could not be identified for this thermal 
event.
    The other incident was with a MY2007 Pontiac Solstice. The owner 
did not inform the manufacturer nor take their vehicle to a dealer for 
evaluation after reporting an electrical smell and observing smoke in 
the glove box in December 2016. No inspection of the vehicle was 
conducted.
    Most of the 13 incidents reported an overheated or discolored 
connector with attendant loss of HVAC blower fan function. GM reported 
354 warranty claims with the subject components for the Sky and 
Solstice, none of which included a report of fire and only one report 
of smoke. Over a period of ten to fourteen years in service, there are 
two reports of smoke or thermal damage.
    While the subject Sky and Solstice vehicles and the recalled Hummer 
H3 and H3T vehicles do share common components, the Sky and Solstice 
vehicles have demonstrated very different behavior and the HVAC system 
has a lower power draw than the recalled Hummer H3 and H3T vehicles. 
The recalled H3 and H3T vehicles generate over triple the failure rate 
of the Sky and Solstice vehicles. GM suggested in its response to the 
Agency's information request that this difference was due to the larger 
interior volume of a recalled Hummer vehicle imposing a heavier 
electrical load and duty cycle on its HVAC blower. The duty cycle is 
defined as how long it takes for the vehicle to cool down enough before 
the HVAC blower motor fan speed is lowered or turned off completely.
    Additionally, due to the size differential between the Sky and 
Solstice vehicles and the recalled Hummer H3 and H3T vehicles, the 
parts have a different power draw. The Sky and Solstice vehicles, due 
to their smaller size, draw less wattage, which reduces the likelihood 
of a thermal event. This condition in the Sky and Solstice vehicles 
typically leads to an inoperable HVAC blower motor as opposed to a 
thermal event.
    Despite the commonality of parts in the Sky and Solstice vehicles 
with those that were the basis of a safety recall, the subject vehicles 
have not demonstrated a safety defect trend that would likely lead to a 
safety recall or merit further investigation by the Agency. The subject 
vehicles have a low rate of reported thermal events over the ten to 
fourteen years they have been in service with the most recent occurring 
in 2017. The HVAC blower motor was not confirmed

[[Page 62496]]

to be the root cause for either thermal event cited above.
    After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the 
petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information 
submitted by GM in response to an information request, and the 
potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, 
NHTSA does not believe that the petition warrants a formal 
investigation at this time. Consequently, the petition is denied. As 
with all potential motor vehicle safety risks, NHTSA will continue to 
review any new information or incidents as they are submitted to the 
Agency. The denial of this petition does not foreclose the Agency from 
taking further action if warranted or making a future finding that a 
safety-related defect exists based on additional information the Agency 
may receive.
    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30162(d); delegations of authority at CFR1.95 
and 501.8.

Anne L. Collins,
Associate Administrator for Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2022-22394 Filed 10-13-22; 8:45 am]
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