NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE04-016: WHEEL SEPARATION

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-016 on February 18, 2004 and closed it on July 2, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Jayco models for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE04-016 (also written PE04016)
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 July 2, 2004
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Jayco, Inc.
Component
Wheels
Vehicles and equipment
3 Jayco models, including the Legacy and Designer

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 Preliminary Evaluation PE04-016.

IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S JUNE 1, 2004 PE INQUIRY,JAYCO ADVISED ODI OF 58 WHEEL SEPARATION INCIDENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN JAYCO PRODUCTS.THREE (3) ARE MODEL YEAR 2002-2003 TRAVEL TRAILERSAND FIFTY-FIVE (55) ARE MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 FIFTH WHEEL TOWABLE RVS EQUIPPED WITH ALUMINUM WHEELS.JAYCO HAS ALSO ADVISED ODI THAT AN ADDITIONAL TWO (2) WHEEL SEPARATIONS OCCURRED DURING JUNE, 2004, FOR AN OVERALL TOTAL OF SIXTY. ODI CONDUCTED A FIELD INSPECTION OF THE JAYCO VEHICLE THAT LOST A WHEEL ON JUNE 11, 2004.

THE INSPECTION FOUND EVIDENCE OF COATING MATERIAL BETWEEN THEHUB AND WHEEL MOUNTING FACES.FOREIGN MATERIAL SUCH AS COATINGS IN THE WHEEL MOUNTING JOINT CAN COMPROMISE THE ABILITY OF THE NUTS TO MAINTAIN CLAMP AND LEAD TO NUT LOOSENING AND/OR STUD BREAKAGE AND COULD RESULT IN A WHEEL SEPARATION.A WHEEL THAT SEPARATES FROM A VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS POSES A HAZARD TO OTHER USERS OF THE ROADWAY AND CAN AFFECT THE STABILITY AND SAFETY OF THE AFFECTED RV.THIS PE IS BEING UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-016. 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.

Jayco

All Jayco 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 PE04-016

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.