NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Equipment Query EQ12-005: Braun Wheelchair Lifts
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ12-005 on April 16, 2012 and closed it on December 2, 2013. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Braun Century-2 and Vista-2 for it and links 17 recalls to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EQ12-005 (also written EQ12005)
- 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 December 2, 2013
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Braun Corporation
- Component
- Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- 12V-281: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-292: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-293: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-321: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-326: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-344: Wheelchair Lift/Outer Roll Stop Latching Mechanism, reported
- 12V-356: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-404: WHEELCHAIR LIFT/OUTER ROLL STOP LATCHING MECHANISM, reported
- 12V-427: Wheelchair Lift/Outer Roll Stop Latching Mechanism, reported
- 12V-433: Wheelchair Lift/Outer Roll Stop Latching Mechanism, reported
- 12V-437
- 12V-440
- 12V-442
- 12V-443
- 12V-449
- 12V-584
- 14V-197
- Vehicles and equipment
- Braun Century-2 and Vista-2
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Equipment Query EQ12-005.
On January, 31, 2012, Braun Corporation (Braun) notified the NHTSA that it had decided a defect exists in certain Century-2 and Vista-2 wheelchair lifts, manufactured from November 20, 2006 through September 10, 2010, and installed on various vans and transit buses.
Over time and with frequent use, the roll stop latches on the outer barrier may become bent or misaligned.
Should this occur, a wheelchair occupant may defeat or ride over the insufficiently latched roll stop.
If this occurs when the lift platform is in an elevated position, the wheelchair's occupant could fall and sustain injury.
NHTSA assigned recall number 12E-002 to this matter.
On April 30, 2012, the Recall Management Division (RMD) mailed an Information Request (IR) letter to Braun requesting a list of all customers that purchased the defective wheelchair lifts.
On May 10, 2012, Braun submitted a list of purchasers to NHTSA?s Office of the Chief Counsel (NCC) requesting confidentiality for its business records.
On October 2, 2012, NCC responded to Braun?s request for confidentiality with a letter granting Braun?s request.
On June 11, 2012, RMD mailed IR letters to sixteen (16) manufacturers that were detailed in Braun?s purchaser list.
Seven (7) manufacturers chose to conduct safety recalls for their affected vehicles.
Additionally, Forest River, Inc. submitted two (2) Part 573 Reports recalling both affected Forest River and Glaval Bus vehicles. Three (3) IR letters were undeliverable.
Two (2) companies, Ameritrans Bus Company and Accubuilt, Inc. did not respond to RMD?s IR letter.
Braun?s purchaser list also included a number of authorized dealerships that install and service Braun wheelchair lifts.
RMD chose to contact twenty-seven (27) of these dealerships as they received sizable quantities of recalled wheelchair lifts which may have been installed on new vehicles.
On August 21, 2012, RMD mailed an additional twenty-seven (27) IR letters these Braun dealerships.
Twelve (12) companies provided responses explaining their product was returned, no actual defective product was received, or their units were not installed into new motor vehicles.
Eight (8) companies filed Part 573 Reports and conducted safety recalls for their altered vehicles.
Seven (7) of these companies did not respond to RMD?s IR letter.
These nonresponsive companies were: Ride-Away Corporation, The Mobility Specialist, Cummings Mobility Conversions, Fenton Mobility Products, Advanced Wheels of Technology, Inc., and Gresham Driving Aids.
In total, fifteen (15) companies filed Part 573 Reports with NHTSA and conducted safety recalls for this matter.
The nine (9) companies that did not respond have been forwarded to NCC for possible enforcement action.
This EQ influenced the following safety recalls:12V-326 - Prime-Time Specialty Vehicle, Inc. 12V-292 ? Molly Corporation 12V-344 ? Double K, Inc. 12V-404 ? Turtle Top 12V-281 ? Coach & Equipment Mfg. Corp. 12V-356 ? Eldorado National Kansas, Inc. 12V-293 ? Forest River, Inc. 12V-321 ? Forest River, Inc. / Glaval Bus 12V-427 ? Mobility Works 12V-442 ? Mobility Transportation Services, Inc. 12V-437 ? National Van Builders, Inc. 12V-433 ? Quality Van Sales, Inc. 12V-440 ? New England Wheels Inc. 12V-449 ? Mobility Services 12V-584 ? Creative Bus Sales, Inc. 12V-443 ? C&C MobilityThis EQ is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ12-005. 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.
Braun
Braun Century-2
- model year not given
Braun Vista-2
- 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 EQ12-005
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.