Investigations
TRAILER WHEEL SEPARATION
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE07035 - closed, opened 2007-07-12.
NHTSA investigation PE07035 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2007-07-12 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2007-11-13 - 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 PE07035 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: "ODI RECEIVED AN OWNER LETTER ALLEGING THE LEFT WHEEL SEPARATED FROM HIS SUBJECT TRAILER WHEN THE STUB AXLE FRACTURED WHILE TOWING IT BEHIND HIS MOTORCYCLE ON JUNE 17, 2006. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TRAILER OWNER RECEIVED A COPY..." 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
ODI RECEIVED AN OWNER LETTER ALLEGING THE LEFT WHEEL SEPARATED FROM HIS SUBJECT TRAILER WHEN THE STUB AXLE FRACTURED WHILE TOWING IT BEHIND HIS MOTORCYCLE ON JUNE 17, 2006. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TRAILER OWNER RECEIVED A COPY OF A LETTER FROM CHAMPION ACKNOWLEDGING THAT TWO SEPARATIONS, INVOLVING OTHER CUSTOMERS, HAD OCCURRED PREVIOUSLY. THAT LETTER, DATED LATE 2004 AND ALLEGEDLY SENT TO ALL CUSTOMERS (THOUGH THE SUBJECT OWNER HERE CLAIMS HE NEVER RECEIVED IT), ADVISED CUSTOMERS THAT CHAMPION WAS MAKING AN "UPGRADED AXLE DESIGN" AVAILABLE, AT NO COST, TO THOSE CUSTOMERS WILLING TO PAY FOR ITS INSTALLATION. AFTER OPENING THIS PE AND DISCUSSING THE ALLEGED DEFECT WITH CHAMPION, THE COMPANY DECIDED TO RECALL THE TRAILERS TO CORRECT THE CONDITION (07V412). WITH THAT RECALL, CONDUCTED IN LIEU OF RESPONDING TO OUR AUGUST 16, 2007 INFORMATION REQUEST, THIS PE IS CLOSED.
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.