NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE03-041: FIFTH WHEEL KINPIN BOX FAILURE

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE03-041 on September 2, 2003 and closed it on November 25, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1997–2000 NU WA Snowbird for it and links recall 03V-440 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE03-041 (also written PE03041)
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 November 25, 2003
Opened: September 2, 2003
Closed: November 25, 2003
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Nu Wa Industries, Inc.
Component: Trailer Hitches — Fifth Wheel Assembly
Recall linked by NHTSA: 03V-440: NUWA/HITCH PIN, reported November 4, 2003
Vehicles and equipment: 1997–2000 NU WA Snowbird

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE03-041.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS PROMPTED BY AN OWNER WHOALLEGED THAT HIS TRAILER'S FIFTH WHEEL KING PIN BOX HAD CRACKED,ALLOWING THE TRAILER TO COLLAPSE DOWNWARD ONTO THE BED OF HIS TOW VEHICLE. NUWAY REPORTED THAT THEY ONLY OFFERED THE EXTENDED FIFTH WHEEL OPTION ON SIX SNOWBIRD TRAILERS BUILT BETWEEN 1997 AND 2000.

THE OPTION WAS DISCONTINUED ON THE 2001 MODEL.AS A RESULT OF THE AGENCY'S INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER, NUWAY IS CONDUCTINGA SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN WHERE THEY WILL INSPECT AND REPAIR ALL SIX TRAILERS. A COPY OF THE RECALL IS ATTACHED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE03-041. 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.

NU WA

NU WA Snowbird
- 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

All NU WA 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 PE03-041

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.