NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE04-051: WHEEL SEPARATIONS
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-051 on July 22, 2004 and closed it on November 23, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists 7 models from 4 makes for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE04-051 (also written PE04051)
- 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 23, 2004
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- Keystone RV Company; Airstream, Inc.; GENERAL COACH - HENSALL; Komfort Corporation
- Components
- Wheels; Wheels — Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
- Vehicles and equipment
- 7 models from 4 makes, including the Airstream International CCD and Airstream Safari
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 PE04-051.
WHEEL SEPARATIONS AT THOR INDUSRIES HAVE PREDOMINANTLY OCCURRED IN VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY KEYSTONE RV.KEYSTONE RV HAS REPORTED 110 SEPARATIONS OF STEEL WHEELS OF 64,727(0.17%) AND 15 SEPARATIONS OF ALUMINUM WHEELS OF 6,984 PRODUCED (0.21%) IN RECREATIONAL VEHICLESMANUFACTURED SINCE MARCH 2003.
OTHER DIVISIONS OF THOR INDUSTRIES, DUTCHMAN (4), THOR CALIFORNIA (0), THOR AMERICA (2), KOMFORT CORP (2), AND AIRSTREAM (14) HAVE REPORTED FEWER WHEEL SEPARATIONS OVER A BROADER TIME PERIOD (SINCE 2000) THAN KEYSTONE RV. SINCE A SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY (92%) OF THE WHEEL SEPARATIONS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THOR INDUSTRIES VEHICLES HAVE OCCURRED IN KEYSTONE RV VEHICLES, ODI WILL FOCUS INVESTIGATION ACTIVITY ON THESE PRODUCTS AND OPEN AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA) AT KEYSTONE RV TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE(S) FOR WHEEL SEPARATIONS.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-051. 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.
Airstream
All Airstream recallsGeneral Coach
General Coach Corsair
Keystone
All Keystone recallsKomfort
Komfort Trailblazer
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 PE04-051
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.