NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE14-025: Motorcycle Fires
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE14-025 on August 4, 2014 and closed it on May 22, 2015. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2013 Can-Am Spyder RT for it and links recall 15V-095 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE14-025 (also written PE14025)
- 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 May 22, 2015
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc.
- Component
- Fuel System, Gasoline
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 15V-095: High Engine Compartment Temperatures, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2013 Can-Am Spyder RT
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-025.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
This Preliminary Evaluation was opened after NHTSA became aware of two fires involving a MY 2011 and a MY 2013 Can-Am Spyder RT manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP).
Both occurred within days of each other in July, 2014.
The first report (VOQ 10615679) involved a 2011 Spyder RT, converted for police work and operated by the Morgantown, WV police department burned while being operated on July 20, 2014.
The second report (VOQ10617819) involved a 2013 Spyder RT that burned while being operated near the 29 Palms Marine base in the Mojave desert.
After a comprehensive review of all information and test data collected during the investigation NHTSA staff met with BRP to discuss its findings.
After careful consideration BRP decided to conduct a safety recall (15V095) to address operator burns from elevated vehicle surface temperatures, fuel boiling due to inadequate management of engine compartment heat, and excessive fuel vapor emissions due to the inability of the bikes evaporative emissions system to capture those vapors. We received the company's defect information report on February 13, 2015 and owners began receiving an interim recall notice on February 26th.
The interim notice told owners that the recall remedy was in development and would be available in May, 2015.
In addition, BRP agreed to, and has undertaken, the following actions:1.Re-notified owners subject to recalls 12V581 and 582 to increase the number who have the recall remedies installed; and 2.Improved its internal system (BossWeb) so that dealers may accurately determine whether a BRP street-legal product has had all relevant recalls completed.
With BRP's recall, and its other actions, this PE is closed.
For additional detailed information on this investigation, see the attached closing report.
The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following (ODI) numbers:10422389,10441182,10451964,10454644,10464103,10488563,10495091, 10499920,10534185,10538604,10542236,10544661,10544745,10545679, 10545719,10547665,10547672,10547761,10549949,10551480,10574592, 10576999,10579466,10582917,10587190,10587196,10587659,10593913, 10595183,10606604,10607045,10615679,10615793,10616468,10616523, 10616893,10617819,10618790,10620886,10620985,10621062,10621082, 10621271,10621881,10621966,10622101,10622114,10622350,10622356, 10622523,10622664,10625899,10626242,10626248,10626578,10626680, 10626861,10627017,10627095,10627236,10627336,10627768,10627778, 10628178,10628215,10628314,10629231,10629665,10630345,10630901, 10631241,10631265,10631290,10631419,10631703,10631868,10632763, 10638824,10649988,10650058,10650065,10650128,10650131,10650531, 10650634,10650686,10650717,10650745,10650747,10650802,10650812, 10650899,10651070,10651083,10651134,10651139,10651343,10651478, 10651558,10651858,10651917,10659906,10664024
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-025. 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.
Can-Am
Can-Am Spyder RT
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 PE14-025
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.