NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE04-057: TRANSMISSION LOCKUP
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-057 on August 3, 2004 and closed it on February 2, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Victory All and V92 for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE04-057 (also written PE04057)
- 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 February 2, 2005
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- POLARIS INDUSTRIES, INC.
- Component
- Power Train — Manual Transmission
- Vehicles and equipment
- Victory All and V92
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 PE04-057.
ODI OPENED THIS PE BASED ON OWNER ALLEGATIONS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, SPONTANEOUSLY DOWNSHIFT AND/OR LOCKUP.SINCE OPENING THIS PE, WE HAVE INTERVIEWED REPORTING OWNERS, TEST-RIDDEN SUBJECT MOTORCYCLES, MET WITH VICTORY MOTORCYCLE DEALERS AND REVIEWED POLARIS' RESPONSE TO OUR INQUIRY.BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED, WE FIND THAT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ARE QUITE PREVALENT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND ARE CONTINUING.COMMONLY, OWNERS FIRST NOTE DEGRADED SHIFT PERFORMANCE (TYPICALLY FALSE NEUTRALS ON THE 2-3 UPSHIFTS, DIFFICULTLY FINDING NEUTRAL, HARSH 3-2 DOWNSHIFTS, ETC.)DEALERS TELL OWNERS THAT DEGRADED SHIFT PERFORMANCE IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY (BASIC AND EXTENDED), BUT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO DISSASSEMBLE THE TRANSMISSION TO LEARN MORE.HOWEVER, OWNERS ARE ALSO TOLD THAT IF NO TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IS FOUND, THE OWNER WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY.UNWILLING TO TAKE A CHANCE THAT NOTHING WILL BE FOUND (BASED ON DEALERS' CLAIMS THAT SHIFT DIFFICULTIES ARE DUE TO DEFICIENT OWNER OPERATION), OWNERS KEEP RIDING WITH SHIFT QUALITY ISSUES.IN SOME CASES, OWNERS CONTACT THE DEALER AGAIN WITH THE SAME RESULT.FINALLY, SHIFT QUALITY BECOMES SO POOR THAT SPONTANEOUS, UNINTENDED 3-2 DOWNSHIFTS OCCUR AND/OR THE TRANSMISSION (AND AS A RESULT, THE REAR WHEEL) LOCKS UP.AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK, POLARIS WAS OFFERING TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION WITH THE MY 2003 VERSION, WHICH IS MADE BY A DIFFERENT SUPPLIER.THIS OFFER WAS/IS CONTINGENT UPON THE OWNERS PAYING LABOR CHARGES OF APPROXIMATELY $500-$700. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND POLARIS' RESPONSES TO IT, WE ARE UPGRADING THIS INVESTIGATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-057. 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.
Victory
All Victory 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 PE04-057
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.