[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 249 (Thursday, December 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77244-77245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-8072]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition

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

ACTION: Denial of petition for a defect investigation.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the reasons for the denial of a 
petition submitted by Mr. Chris Ruh, Mr. Don Huston, Mr. Robert 
Guthrie, Mr. Jeff Babiak, Mr. J. A. Massey, Ms. Michele Brown, Ms. Mary 
Mabry, Mr. Chris Taylor, and Mr. Victor Aguilar (hereinafter, 
``Petitioners'') to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), 
received September 6, 2005, under 49 U.S.C. 30162, requesting that the 
agency commence a proceeding to determine the existence of a defect 
related to motor vehicle safety with respect to the cylinder head and 
spark plug assembly performance of model year (MY) 1997 through 2004 
Ford vehicles with Triton V-8 and V-10 engines. After a review of the 
petition and other information, NHTSA has concluded that further 
expenditure of the agency's investigative resources on the issues 
raised by the petition does not appear to be warranted. The agency 
accordingly has denied the petition. The petition is hereinafter 
identified as DP05-005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cheryl Rose, Vehicle Control 
Division, Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: (202) 366-1869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    On September 6, 2005, ODI received a petition submitted by Mr. 
Donald W. Ricketts of Santa Clarita, CA, on the behalf of the 
``Petitioners'' requesting that the agency investigate allegations of 
engine spark plug ejection in certain MY 1997 through 2004 Ford 
vehicles with Triton V-8 and V-10 engines (hereinafter, subject 
vehicles). The ``Petitioners'' allege the following regarding the 
subject vehicles:
    (1) The spark plug-cylinder head assembly design is insufficient to 
retain the spark plugs in the cylinder heads for the life of the spark 
plug unless periodically inspected and, if necessary, torqued.
    (2) As the vehicle ages, the spark plugs loosen in the threaded 
head and/or the metal fatigues causing the spark plugs to be blown out 
of the head.
    (3) The millions of subject vehicles containing the Triton V-8 and 
V-10 engine present a safety hazard to occupants of the vehicle, nearby 
persons, and other motorists on the road.
    (4) The spark plugs shoot out of the cylinder port suddenly and 
with great force damaging the engine and sometimes puncturing the hood.
    (a) Fire and explosion are likely if the plugs puncture nearby fuel 
lines.
    (b) Owners report a strong smell of gasoline vapor after blowouts 
occur and the cylinder is open, presenting an additional danger of fire 
and explosion.
    (c) The sudden expulsion of the plug out of the head often causes 
drivers to be startled and lose control of the vehicle momentarily.
    (d) The vehicles always lose power, and often stall.
    In response to NHTSA's request for whatever supporting information 
the ``Petitioners'' could provide, one petitioner and Mr. Donald 
Ricketts on behalf of the ``Petitioners,'' submitted several complaints 
and repair invoices concerning the subject of their allegations. NHTSA 
has carefully analyzed those submissions, as well as relevant 
complaints in its own database, interviewed many of the complainants, 
including some of the ``Petitioners,'' and examined a vehicle 
containing the alleged defect.
    ODI received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the 
subject vehicles, including the several complaints submitted by Mr. 
Donald Ricketts on behalf of the ``Petitioners'' and some complaints 
received directly from the ``Petitioners'' where the complainant, or 
the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached 
from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine (hereinafter, alleged 
defect). As of December 8, 2005, ODI is not aware of any allegations 
where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a 
crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject 
vehicles. In addition, ODI is aware of only two incidents where the 
vehicle stalled without restart.
    Information contained in the ODI consumer complaints and obtained 
from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:
    (1) 99% of the complaints were on MY 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.
    (2) Most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving 
or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking 
or popping sound.
    (3) Many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was 
accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the 
incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall. In the very few 
incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be 
restarted.
    (4) Only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they 
smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.
    (5) In all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to 
the engine. In one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail 
was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the 
engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not 
result in any type of fuel leak

[[Page 77245]]

or fire. In another incident, the only incident where a fire was 
alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but 
that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine 
and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location. None 
of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.
    (6) Only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared 
to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug 
had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these 
complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of 
his incident.
    In addition to its complaint analysis, ODI also examined a subject 
vehicle containing the alleged defect and observed the following:
    (1) One of the spark plugs was detached from the cylinder threads.
    (2) The bracket securing the ignition coil and spark plug assembly 
was broken and when the engine was running, the ignition coil, which 
was still attached to the engine via its wire harness, would move up 
and down within the cylinder.
    (3) When the engine was running a loud popping or clicking noise 
was heard.
    (4) No fluid leaks or fuel rail, smoke or flame damage was 
observed.
    As the petitioner noted and ODI's analysis showed, it is possible 
for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the 
subject vehicles. However, ODI's analysis of 474 complaints describing 
such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related 
consequences. None of these showed any evidence of a serious safety 
consequence. Given the large population and relatively long exposure 
time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the 
risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.
    In view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the NHTSA would issue 
an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect as 
defined by Mr. Donald Ricketts, on behalf of the ``Petitioners,'' at 
the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition. 
Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the NHTSA's 
limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the 
petition is denied.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30162(d); delegations of authority at CFR 
1.50 and 501.8.

    Issued on: December 22, 2005.
Daniel Smith,
Associate Administrator for Enforcement.
 [FR Doc. E5-8072 Filed 12-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P