Investigations
Front wheel failure
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE15016 - closed, opened 2015-04-20.
NHTSA investigation PE15016 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2015-04-20 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2015-10-16 - 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 PE15016 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: "We opened this PE after receiving an allegation of a sudden, catastrophic, right front wheel failure. Since opening it, we have met with dealer service personnel, interviewed owners, monitored various web forums, and req..." 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
We opened this PE after receiving an allegation of a sudden, catastrophic, right front wheel failure. Since opening it, we have met with dealer service personnel, interviewed owners, monitored various web forums, and requested information from Polaris. We are unaware of any additional wheel failures occurring in the six months since we began investigating this subject. Currently, no actionable defect trend exists which would justify continuing to investigate this matter. Consequently, this PE is closed. We will continue to monitor owner complaints, web forums, EWR data, etc and, if warranted by new facts, we will reopen an investigation.
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.