NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Defect Petition DP09-006: Alleged inadequate recall remedy 07V-586

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP09-006 on November 30, 2009 and closed it on November 20, 2015. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 LXI and Wanderlodge for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: DP09-006 (also written DP09006)
Investigation type: Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
Status: Closed November 20, 2015
Opened: November 30, 2009
Closed: November 20, 2015
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Blue Bird Body Company
Components: Suspension — Front; Tires; Wheels
Vehicles and equipment: Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 LXI and Wanderlodge

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP09-006.

On December 11, 2007, Blue Bird Corporation (BBC) submitted an uninfluenced recall 07V-586 to the agency.

This recall described a defect on fifty eight 2005?2007 Model Year (MY) Wanderlodge Recreational Vehicles (RV) where the curb weight of the front axle could exceed the axle?s 16,000 pound rating. To address the issue, BBC replaced the tie rods on the vehicle to a more robust version increasing the rating of the front axle to 17,000 pounds.

In addition, BBC relocated a generator rearward from the front of the vehicle and provided updated storage bay weight limit placards forinstallation in each of the vehicles three storage bays.

On March 11, 2008, BBC submitted an amendment to the 07V-586 recall.

In this amendment, BBC added three more remedial actions to the original recall.

In addition to the original recall remedies, BBC would replace the front tires (with the same model tires) perform a front end alignment, and add new tire data placards instructing operators to maintain the vehicle tire pressure at 130 psi (the maximum tire pressure for that model tire).

Following receipt of a consumer complaint (10226544) alleging that some of the vehicles subject to recall 07V-586 had front axle curb weights in excess of 17,000 pounds and that operators did not have a reasonable way to maintain tire pressures at 130 psi (as required by recall 07V-586), NHTSA opened Recall Query RQ08-004.

The recall query was(Continued on page 2)

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP09-006. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Blue Bird

Blue Bird Wanderlodge
- 2005
Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 LXI
- 2005, 2006, 2007

All Blue Bird recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for DP09-006

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.