NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE02-037: HANDLEBAR LOOSENING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE02-037 on March 26, 2002 and closed it on May 24, 2002. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1999–2000 Indian Chief for it and links recall 02V-144 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE02-037 (also written PE02037)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed May 24, 2002
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Indian Motorcycle Company
- Component
- Structure
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 02V-144: INDIAN MOTORCYCLE/HANDLE BAR, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1999–2000 Indian Chief
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE02-037.
ODI OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION AFTER RECEIVING ONE OWNER COMPLAINT REGARDING TWO INSTANCES OF HANDLEBAR LOOSENING ON A 2000 INDIAN CHIEF MODEL MOTORCYCLE.THIS WAS OCCURRING BECAUSE THE HANDLEBAR RISER CLAMP MATERIAL WAS TWW SOFT RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT CLAMPING FORCE NECESSARY TO FULLY SECURE THE HANDLEBAR IN CERTAIN FORESEEABLE MANEUVERS.INDIAN IS RECALLING THE SUBJECT VEHICLES TO REPLACE THE INFERIOR RISER CLAMP WITH ANOTHER OF MORE ROBUST MATERIAL.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE02-037. 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.
Indian
All Indian recallsWhat 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 PE02-037
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.