NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Equipment Query EQ08-005: MAXON LIFT CORP. WHEELCHAIR LIFTS
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ08-005 on April 2, 2008 and closed it on July 16, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Maxon WL-7 and WL-7A for it and links recalls 08V-212 and 08V-321 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EQ08-005 (also written EQ08005)
- Investigation type
- Equipment Query An administrative investigation that reviews recall reports to confirm that the equipment suppliers and vehicle manufacturers involved in an equipment recall have filed the recall reports required of them.
- Status
- Closed July 16, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Maxon Lift Corp.
- Component
- Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- Vehicles and equipment
- Maxon WL-7 and WL-7A
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Equipment Query EQ08-005.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
MAXON LIFT CORP. HAS IDENTIFIED CERTAIN EARLY MODEL WHEELCHAIR LIFTS AS BEING NONCOMPLIANT WITH FMVSS.CERTAIN WL-7 & & WL-7A WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FAIL TO MEET 49 CFR 571.403 S6.4.7.3 INDICATING THE LIFTS MAY SEPARATE, FRACTURE, OR BREAK BEARING WEIGHT UP TO 1,600 LBS. IF A WHEELCHAIR LIFT WERE TO BREAK OR SEPARATE WHILE DEPLOYED, AN OCCUPANT COULD FALL, FROM A HEIGHT UP TO 4 FEET, AND EXPERIENCE SERIOUS, PERSONEL INJURY AND/OR EQUIPMENT DAMAGE.RMD MAILED 20 COMPANIES INFORMATION REQUEST LETTERS IN MID-APRIL.IN MOST CASES, THESE COMPANIES WERE INSTALLATION SHOPS OR REPAIR SHOPS ONLY.DEFECT REPORTS WERE RECEIVED FROM INTERNATIONAL TRUCK & ENGINE CORPORATION (08V-212) AND THOMAS BUILT BUSSES (08V-321).
A WRITTEN RESPONSE WAS NEVER RECEIVED FROM IBERT GRANITE & MARBLE INC. BUT, THROUGH PHONE CONVERSATION, IT WAS DISCOVERED IBERT IS A GRAVESTONE MANUFACTURER AND THE GIVEN ADDRESS DOES NOT RECEIVE U.S. MAIL.WHERE APPLICABLE, MOST RESPONDANTS WERE DIRECTED BACK TO MAXON TO PASS ALONG END-USE CUSTOMER CONTACT INFORMATION.THIS EQ SHOULD HAVE RAISED RECALL AWARENESS AND GIVEN MAXON THE OPPROTUNITY TO REPAIR ADDITIONAL WHEELCHAIR LIFTS.THIS EQ IS CLOSED.IR RESPONSES CAN BE FOUND BELOW OR IN THE DOCUMENT REPOSITORY.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ08-005. 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.
Maxon
Maxon WL-7
- model year not given
Maxon WL-7A
- model year not given
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 EQ08-005
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.