NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE15-018: Emergency Exit Obstruction
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-018 on May 1, 2015 and closed it on July 21, 2015. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Keystone models for it and links recalls 15V-409 and 15V-499 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE15-018 (also written PE15018)
- 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 July 21, 2015
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Keystone RV Company
- Component
- Equipment — Recreational Vehicle/Trailer
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 Keystone models, including the Montana and Montana-Mountaineer
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-018.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a complaint of a partially obstructed emergency exit window on a 2014 Montana trailer manufactured by Keystone RV which alleged the roof ladder impeded full opening of one of the two rear emergency exit windows.
ODI notes that these trailers are equipped with as many as three (3) emergency exits, often including the window adjacent to the rear window in question.
ODI further notes that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) do not apply to this case, as no emergency exits are required for this vehicle.
However, the window is clearly marked as an emergency exit, yet may not function as one.
Misleading signage may lead to a delay in occupant egress and pose an undue risk to safety.
Keystone's recall (15V-409) to remove the label marking the window as an emergency exit or to replace the window will eliminate the risk of an occupant mistaking the subject window as an emergency exit and result in one of the functioning emergency exits being used.
Keystone's actions resolve the issue raised by this investigation and therefore this investigation is closed.
The ODI reports cited in this investigation can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification number:10692688. Note:Complaint number 10583668 was erroneously associated with this investigation when opened.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-018. 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 PE15-018
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.