Caterpillar Inc.: Engine and Engine Cooling
Caterpillar Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 12, 2005 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 55,794. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN 2004 AND 2005 C15 DIESEL ENGINES MANUFACTURED BY CATERPILLAR BETWEEN OCTOBER 2003 AND APRIL 2005. THE VARIABLE VALVE ACTUATION OIL LINE (VVA LINE) USED ON 6 CYLINDER, 15L TURBOCHARGED AND AIR-TO-AIR AFTERCOOLED DIESEL ENGINES OF 435-550 HORSEPOWER MAY WEAR AGAINST THE SHARP EDGE OF THE CYLINDER HEAD IF NOT ORIENTED CORRECTLY.
The risk
OIL LINE WEAR MAY CAUSE AN OIL LEAK AND A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD.
The remedy
OWNERS OR DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VVA LINE FOR WEAR. IF VVA LINE WEAR IS NOTED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LINE. A CLIP WILL BE ADDED TO PREVENT FUTURE LINE WEAR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 17, 2006.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Caterpillar C15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Caterpillar C15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 05E078000.
Full record for the 2005 Caterpillar C15 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →