NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE15-007: LCI RV Entry Step Failures

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-007 on February 27, 2015 and closed it on October 19, 2015. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Equipment (model not given) for it and links 10 recalls to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE15-007 (also written PE15007)
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 19, 2015
Opened: February 27, 2015
Closed: October 19, 2015
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Lippert
Component: Structure — Body — Door — Hinge and Attachments
Recalls linked by NHTSA: 15V-745: Electric Entry Steps may be Unstable, reported November 10, 2015
15V-798: Electric Entry Steps may be Unstable, reported November 25, 2015
15V-872: Electric Entry Steps may be Unstable, reported December 23, 2015
15V-880: Electric Entry Steps may Become Unstable, reported December 28, 2015
16V-003: Electric Entry Steps may be Unstable, reported January 5, 2016
16V-007: Electric Entry Steps may be Unstable, reported January 11, 2016
16V-008: Electric Entry Steps may be Unstable, reported January 13, 2016
16V-039: Electric Entry Steps may Be Unstable, reported January 26, 2016
16V-132: Electric Entry Steps may Become Unstable, reported March 4, 2016
15E-078 (NHTSA record)
Vehicles and equipment: Equipment (model not given)

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-007.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on four Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ).

The VOQs report failures of the motorized entry steps used on some recreational vehicles.

When extended the steps reach out and down from the vehicle.

In the retracted position the step platforms are stacked on top of each other in a compact package under the vehicle body.

The gear used to actuate the steps can separate from the actuation motor allowing the steps to unintentionally extend or retract in an uncontrolled fashion.

ODI was aware of one injury event prior to opening the investigation. An additional four injuries were reported to Lippert Controls Inc. (LCI) during the investigation.

An Information Request Letter (IR) was sent to LCI in order to gather detailed information about the alleged defect. ODI analyzed the IR response data, simulated the failure on an exemplar set of stairs, and inspected broken parts.

Complaint and warranty data indicated that the alleged defect was occurring at a significant rate.

Constructing a test stand and recreating the failure mode clearly demonstrated the safety consequence of a separated drive gear.

Extended steps with a separated drive gear retract when a vertical force is applied to the step.

This retraction can capture an individual's foot or ankle as they ascend or descend the steps. Such an action can cause the individual to fall more than three feet to the ground.

After analyzing the failure mode, the Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) suggested that the center drive gear bolt appeared to fail from a bending moment.

Several conditions might contribute to this type of failure.

LCI reported no design changes during the production of the subject components including the drive gear bolt.

Through testing, LCI attempted to determine the root cause of the gear bolt failures, but voluntarily recalled the subject components prior to completing this testing and making this determination.

This investigation is closed because recall 15E-007 addresses the alleged safety defect.

The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers:10537821, 10605447, 10684011, 10684277

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-007. 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.

Equipment

Equipment (model not given)
- 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 PE15-007

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.