NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-021: FRAME FRACTURE/SUSPENSION COLLAPSE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-021 on March 24, 2008 and closed it on July 2, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Kawasaki models for it and links recall 08V-222 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE08-021 (also written PE08021)
- 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, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
- Component
- Structure — Frame and Members
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 08V-222: FRAME FRACTURE, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 Kawasaki models, including the ZX1400A6F and ZX1400A7F
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-021.
THIS PE WAS OPENED BASED ON OWNER COMPLAINTS, EWR FIELD REPORTS, AND WEB FORUM DISCUSSIONS ALLEGING THAT SOME MY 2006-2007 KAWASAKI ZX14 HIGH PERFORMANCE MOTORCYCLES' REAR SUSPENSION COLLAPSED DUE TO CROSSMEMBER FAILURE.IN ITS RECALL FILING, KAWASAKI WROTE, THE LOWER REAR ENGINE MOUNT HAS A THREADED COLLAR DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE FRAME AND THE ENGINE CASES BEFORE THE ENGINE MOUNTING BOLT IS TIGHTENED.ON SOME OF THE AFFECTED UNITS, THE COLLAR WAS TIGHTENED EXCESSIVELY, WHICH CREATED STRESS ACROSS THE LOWER CROSSMEMBER.KAWASAKI DEALERS ARE INSTRUCTED TO INSPECT THE AFFECTED UNITS AND INSTALL A NEW FRAME ON THOSE ZX14'S WITH SUSPECT CROSSMEMBERS.IN ITS OWNER NOTIFICATION LETTER, KAWASAKI CAUTIONS THAT A FRAME REPLACEMENT MAY REQUIRE A FEW WEEKS DUE TO THE TIME REQUIRED TO PREPARE AND SHIP THE NEW FRAME AND LABELS WITH THE CORRECT VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-021. 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.
Kawasaki
All Kawasaki 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 PE08-021
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.