The Office of Defects (ODI) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) on Trimark 060-1650 model door latches manufactured with zinc plunger bolts from calendar year 2013 to 2016. ODI has received forty-six Vehicle Owner-??s Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging door latch failures. Many of the failures describe consumers being locked in our out of their vehicles. The plunger bolt, made of zinc during the affected manufacturing years, becomes porous and brittle over time and can break without warning, resulting in the lock-in/lock-out condition. Additionally, the plastic bushing, which is needed to reduce friction between the drive elements and keep the latch release efforts smooth and low, can break and jam the lock to an inoperable state. Through communications with Trimark, ODI learned that these door latch failures are widespread across original equipment door manufacturers and different final stage vehicle manufacturers that use the 060-1650 model latch. This investigation has been opened to understand the frequency of latch failure and whether the failures are universal across the industry or limited to certain final stage manufacturers in specific vehicle applications.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 11111891, 11312165, 11352178, 11040852, 11110475, 11118508, 11228739, 11228739, 11230464, 11230464, 11278257, 11343363, 11016475, 11088692, 11089428, 11099251, 11110381, 11110431, 11128222, 11130238, 11132271, 11149731, 11180695, 11265710, 11302531, 11340907, 10929929, 11021492, 11021705, 11030206, 11032978, 11090292, 11098056, 11128128, 11160521, 11300826, 11078987, 11081911, 11104930, 11342532, 11143346, 11277308, 11364743, 11365145, 11321971, 11327052.
