NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE06-003: WHEELCHAIR LIFT ARM FRACTURES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE06-003 on January 5, 2006 and closed it on February 1, 2006. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Ricon Klearvue (K Series) and Klearvue (S Series) for it and links 3 recalls to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE06-003 (also written PE06003)
- 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 1, 2006
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ricon Corporation
- Component
- Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- 06V-127: WHEELCHAIR LIFTS/RICON, reported
- 06V-129: WHEELCHAIR LIFTS/RICON, reported
- 06E-008 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- Ricon Klearvue (K Series) and Klearvue (S Series)
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE06-003.
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER ODI RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM A SCHOOL BUS FLEET ALLEGING CRACKS HAD DEVELOPED ON TWO OF THEIR WHEELCHAIR LIFT'S VERTICAL ARMS.THE LIFTS ARE USED TO RAISE WHEELCHAIRS FROM THE STREET LEVEL TO ALLOW ENTRY INTO THE SCHOOL BUS.ODI CONDUCTED SECONDARY DISCUSSIONS WITH RICON AND ALSO DISCUSSED THE MATTER WITH OTHER FLEETS.ON JANUARY 23, 2006, RICON INITIATED A SAFETY RECALL.RICON WILL NOTIFY ALL OWNERS AND REPLACE ALL THE VERTICAL ARMS ON WHEELCHAIR LIFTS PRODUCED BETWEEN JUNE 12, 2005 AND JULY 1, 2005. RICON DETERMINED THAT THE DEFECT WAS THE RESULT OF WELDS THAT DID NOT RECEIVE FULL PENETRATION.THIS WAS DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR ON THE NEWLY INSTALLEDROBOTIC WELDER.THE RECALL ACTION TAKEN BY RICON RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE06-003. 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.
Ricon
Ricon Klearvue (K Series)
- model year not given
Ricon Klearvue (S Series)
- model year not given
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 PE06-003
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.