Investigations
UNINTENDED REAR WHEEL LOCKUP
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE03038 - closed, opened 2003-08-11.
NHTSA investigation PE03038 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2003-08-11 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2003-11-06 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE03038 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "SUMMARY: ON AUGUST 22, 2003 YAMAHA NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001 XV1600 ¿ROAD STAR¿ MODEL MOTORCYCLES TO ADDRESS TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN THOSE VEHICLES. ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY, THE T..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
SUMMARY: ON AUGUST 22, 2003 YAMAHA NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001 XV1600 ¿ROAD STAR¿ MODEL MOTORCYCLES TO ADDRESS TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN THOSE VEHICLES. ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD FAIL DUE TO EXCESSIVE BUSHING WEAR ON THE 4TH PINION GEAR. BASED ON ITS ANALYSIS OF FAILED TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE FIELD, THE COMPANY FOUND ¿UNEVEN CONTACT BETWEEN THE ENGAGEMENT DOGS ON THE 2ND/3RD PINION GEAR. WHEN IN 4TH GEAR, THESE UNEVEN SURFACES CAUSED UNEVEN BUSHING WEAR IN THE 4TH GEAR BUSHING. THIS WEAR WOULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE 4TH GEAR RETAINING CIRCLIP TO FAIL, LEADING TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE.¿ THIS COULD RESULT IN BOTH TRANSMISSION AND REAR WHEEL LOCKUP AND YAMAHA CONCLUDED A SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. YAMAHA IS LIMITING THE RECALL¿S SCOPE TO THOSE MOTORCYCLES BUILT BETWEEN NOVEMBER 30, 2000 AND JANUARY 24, 2001 BASED UPON THE FOLLOWING: 1. YAMAHA U.S. REPORTED FIELD FAILURES (INVOLVING BIKES BUILT IN DECEMBER, 2000) TO YAMAHA JAPAN. 2. YAMAHA JAPAN INVESTIGATED AND VALIDATED THE CAUSE DESCRIBED ABOVE. 3. YAMAHA JAPAN IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE ENGAGEMENT DOG ON THE 2ND/3RD PINION GEAR. 4. YAMAHA JAPAN RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE JIG USED TO PRODUCE THE 2ND/3RD PINION GEAR WAS RE-CALIBRATED ON JANUARY 13, 2001. 5. PARTS PRODUCED BEFORE NOVEMBER 30,2000 AND AFTER JANUARY 13, 2001 WERE SAMPLED AND FOUND TO BE WITHIN SPECIFICATION (THE RECALL WAS EXTENDED BEYOND JANUARY 13 BUILD AS A PRECAUTION). WITH YAMAHA¿S RECALL, WE ARE CLOSING THIS INVESTIGATION BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE FIELD PERFORMANCE OF ALL ROAD STAR MODEL MOTORCYCLES TO ASSESS THE PERFORMANCE OF THOSE BIKES NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. SHOULD THE FACTS WARRANT ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION, WE WILL PROCEED ACCORDINGLY.
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.