NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE15-015: Inconsistent Throttle Response
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-015 on April 20, 2015 and closed it on August 18, 2015. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Harley-Davidson XG500 and XG750 for it and links recall 15V-474 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE15-015 (also written PE15015)
- 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 August 18, 2015
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Harley-Davidson Motor Company
- Component
- Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 15V-474: Poor Seal at Fuel Pump Inlet, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Harley-Davidson XG500 and XG750
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-015.
This investigation was opened on April 20, 2015 to investigate reports of inconsistent throttle control on all MY 2015 HD XG750 and XG500 motorcycles.
At the time, ODI had 14 consumer complaints and no crashes reported.
At the time of closing this investigation ODI has 51 reports (6 of which allege a crash occurred). In addition to requesting information from Harley-Davidson (HD), ODI interviewed complainants and dealer service/parts department personnel.
ODI staff also test rode one of the crash bikes to experience the alleged condition first-hand.
At low fuel levels (typically below .8 gallon), the engine may stumble and/or stall when fuel flow from the pump to engine is interrupted.
This is due to a poor seal at the fuel pump inlet. Ultimately, HD decided to recall (15V-474) the affected motorcycles (MY 2015 XG500 and XG750 produced 1-20-14 through 6-24-15) to install a new fuel pump assembly.
With the recall, our information request is moot and this PE is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-015. 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.
Harley-Davidson
All Harley-Davidson 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 PE15-015
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.