NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE12-014: Wheel-End Failures
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE12-014 on June 14, 2012 and closed it on October 11, 2012. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2011 Kaufman Flatbed for it and links recall 12V-410 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE12-014 (also written PE12014)
- 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 October 11, 2012
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Kaufman Trailers Group, LLC.
- Components
- Wheels — Hub; Wheels — Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 12V-410: Wheel End Bearing Failure, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2011 Kaufman Flatbed
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE12-014.
On June 14, 2012 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE12-014) to assess the risks associated with wheel-end failures causing wheel separation on certain Model Year (MY) 2011 Kaufman Flatbed Trailers.
Following discussions with ODI concerning manufacturer records, consumer complaints, interviews, and the risk to the public resulting from a wheel separation event, Kaufman decided to submit recall notice 12V-410 on the subject trailers.
This recall decision was made prior to submitting its response to ODI's information request letter, and ODI believes it has sufficient information to close its investigation.
Therefore ODI relieved Kaufman of its requirement to submit a response.
Kaufman's recall actions address the issues raised by this investigation and as a result this investigation is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE12-014. 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.
Kaufman
Kaufman Flatbed
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 PE12-014
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.