NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE15-011: Entry Step Failures
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-011 on April 6, 2015 and closed it on January 8, 2016. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2012–2016 Winnebago Sightseer for it and links recall 15V-866 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE15-011 (also written PE15011)
- 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 January 8, 2016
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Winnebago Industries, Inc.
- Components
- Electrical System; Structure — Body — Door — Hinge and Attachments
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 15V-866: Electric Steps may Extend while Driving, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2012–2016 Winnebago Sightseer
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-011.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) which reported an injury related to the unintentional deployment of the electric entry step on a subject vehicle.
The owner reported to Winnebago that the steps extended while in motion.
Service personnel from Winnebago instructed the owner to disconnect the wire harness at the steps to prevent them from extending while traveling and then reconnect when needed.
The owner did this and was subsequently pinned beneath the steps when they extended upon reconnecting the wire harness.
When deployed the steps extend approximately thirty (30) inches from the side of the vehicle.
This reach facilitates easy entry into the motor home, but creates a hazard when unintentionally deployed in transit.
The driver may not be immediately aware the stepsare extended which increases the possibility of striking another object or person.
During the investigation, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to collect information from Winnebago.
ODI analyzed this data and determined that a significant number of claims reported entry steps failures.
Many of these claims specifically stated the steps extended while the vehicle was in transit. Winnebago service personnel offered multiple options to temporally disable the entry steps so that travelers could safely drive the vehicle.
Depending on the situation fixes ranged from sending a field service technician, to instructing the individual to disconnect the wire harness the same as the owner who submitted the VOQ. A review of the time to failure indicated that most failures occur early in the vehicle's life.
The average time to failure was five (5) months in service.
Most reported failures occurred within the first year of ownership.
ODI determined no design or installation changes had been made to the subject components prior to opening this investigation.
Over the course of the investigation Winnebago identified several opportunities for improvement.
Changes were made to current production to improve entry door reliability and durability in August 2015.
Winnebago has submitted recall 15V-866.
This recall covers vehicles produced between August 1, 2014 and August 31, 2015.
With the recall action taken by Winnebago, this investigation is closed as further use of agency personnel does not appear to be warranted.
The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers:10693551
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-011. 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.
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 PE15-011
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.