NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE15-033: Transfer Switch Heat Related Failures
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-033 on September 28, 2015 and closed it on June 17, 2016. NHTSA's investigations file lists 5 Iota models for it and links recall 15V-698 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE15-033 (also written PE15033)
- 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 June 17, 2016
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- IOTA ENGINEERING, LLC
- Components
- Electrical System; Equipment; Equipment — Electrical; Equipment — Recreational Vehicle/Trailer
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 15V-698: Transfer Switch may Overheat, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 5 Iota models, including the 30A and 30AMP
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-033.
On November 5, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) sent an email to IOTA Engineering LLC (IOTA) requesting certain information about the automatic transfer switches recalled by several recreation vehicle (RV) manufacturers. IOTA responded with emails dated November 13, 2015 and May 23, 2016. In their response, IOTA stated that it sold 15,330 automatic transfer switches to 42 RV manufacturers who, along with IOTA, have not submitted defect information reports to the agency in accordance with 49 CFR 573.6. ODI contacted 2 of these 42 RV manufacturers about the subject components and they both report that no safety defect trend has been identified. Furthermore, IOTA states that it has made a determination that the subject components themselves are not defective and when installed correctly in its intended application the switch performs reliably and without incident. More than one RV manufacturer who did conduct a safety recall acknowledges that sporadic installation error was likely responsible for at least some thermal events experienced on their vehicles. Once the alleged defect trend became apparent, several RV manufacturers paid special attention to installation processes, yet thermal events continued to occur on their vehicles. Furthermore, some RV manufacturers allege that re-torqueing of the terminal screws did not remedy the alleged defect and there may possibly be other as-of-yet unidentified reasons why properly torqued terminal screws may loosen over time resulting in a high resistance connection. While no RV manufacturer has identified a single specific root cause for thermal events involving the subject component, the frequency of thermal events reportedly diminished significantly once they changed transfer switch suppliers. To date, ODI is aware of 31 complaints related to thermal damage of automatic transfer switches manufactured by IOTA. However, all 31 complaints are related to the performance of existing safety recalls, such as scope or owner notification issues, some of which have already been addressed by the respective manufacturers. A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time as relates to the subject components installed by the 42 other RV manufacturers who have so far chosen not to conduct a safety recall. Further use of agency resources does not appear warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 10458296, 10461090, 10465791, 10469372, 10480786, 10491941, 10503017, 10512327, 10522811, 10534897, 10554925, 10567361, 10568410, 10568426, 10585655, 10610552, 10621358, 10629759, 10631603, 10649954, 10716665, 10726758, 10732068, 10746664, 10782102, 10782203, 10782851, 10787730, 10808577, 10819325, 10852246.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE15-033. 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.
Iota
Iota 30A
- model year not given
Iota 30AMP
- model year not given
Iota 50A
- model year not given
Iota 50AMP
- model year not given
Iota ITS-50
- 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 PE15-033
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.