NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE06-040: AXLE SPINDLE WELD FRACTURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE06-040 on September 12, 2006 and closed it on December 6, 2006. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2007 Dutchmen Colorado for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE06-040 (also written PE06040)
- 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 December 6, 2006
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Dutchmen Manufacturing, Inc.
- Component
- Suspension — Rear — Axle — Non-Powered Axle Assembly
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2007 Dutchmen Colorado
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 PE06-040.
AXLE SUPPLIER LIPPERT COMPONENTS MANUFACTURED THE SUSPECT AXLES, AND HAS ADVISED ODI THAT LIPPERT HAS INSPECTED AND/OR REPLACED ALL SUSPECT AXLES SOLD TO DUTCHMEN MFG BEFORE ANY SUSPECT AXLES / VEHICLES WERE PLACED INTO SERVICE. DUTCHMEN MFG HAS NOT REPORTED ANY ADDITIONAL FRACTURED AXLE - SPINDLE WELDS SINCE THE INITIAL THREE INCIDENTS THAT WERE THAT WEREREPORTED BETWEEN JUNE 17 AND JUNE 21, 2006.
ODI WILL MONITOR DUTCHMEN MFG FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS (UNTIL MAY 2007) FOR ANY AXLE - SPINDLE WELD PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS AND WILL INITIATE FURTHER INVESTIGATION IF ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS ARE REPORTED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXIST.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THE VEHICLES IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE06-040. 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.
Dutchmen
Dutchmen Colorado
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 PE06-040
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.