Investigation SQ97002: Vehicles

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Jan 9, 1997

Closed

Jan 11, 1997

Model years

—

Subject

Reverse polarity on battery cable

Component: Electrical system

Summary

Excide has conduct an exhaustive internal investigation and has inspected over 150,000 set of cables.as a result of this investigation, a total of 25 sets of cables have been found in addition to 5 sets returned and a report of a problem with 1 set where the specific nature of the problem is unknown.all sets were built prior to november 1995.since that time excide has implemented automated crimping, current polarity testing and optical scanning.with over 1.2 million cables sold excide is aware of only two reported incidents involving reverse polaritythe resulting failure rate is .0000275.a safety defet trend has not been identified at this time and futher use of agency resources does not appear warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exits.the agency reserves the right to take further action when appropriate.

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.