Investigations
WHEEL SEPARATIONS
NHTSA Recall Query RQ03009 - closed, opened 2003-11-21.
NHTSA investigation RQ03009 is a Recall Query opened on 2003-11-21 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2004-03-17 - 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 Recall Query like RQ03009 evaluates whether a previously issued recall is actually fixing the problem. NHTSA opens an RQ when owners continue to report the original defect after the recall remedy is installed, or when completion rates fall short of the agency's expectations for that risk tier.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES DETERMINED THAT THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS HAD BEEN INADEQUATELY TORQUED IN FIFTH WHEEL AND TRAVEL TRAILERS BUILT WITH ALUMINUM WHEELS SINCE JUNE 2002. FLEETWOOD ALERTED OWNERS VIA A CUSTOMER ADVISORY..." 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
FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES DETERMINED THAT THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS HAD BEEN INADEQUATELY TORQUED IN FIFTH WHEEL AND TRAVEL TRAILERS BUILT WITH ALUMINUM WHEELS SINCE JUNE 2002. FLEETWOOD ALERTED OWNERS VIA A CUSTOMER ADVISORY NOTICE IN APRIL AND MAY OF 2003. ON OCTOBER 29, 2003, FLEETWOOD MADE A DEFECT DETERMINATION AND RENOTIFIED OWNERS. IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INVESTIGATION, FLEETWOOD PROVIDED CERTAIN PRELIMINARY INFORMATION TO ODI, BUT THIS INFORMATION DOES NOT ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN THE REASON(S) FOR WHEEL SEPARATIONS, AND ODI CONTINUES TO BE CONCERNED THAT THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS MAY NOT COMPLETELY ADDRESS THE ISSUE. FLEETWOOD'S CAMPAIGN DIRECTIVE REQUESTED THAT OWNERS RE-TORQUE THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS. ALTHOUGH RE-TORQUING IS CONSISTENT WITH GOOD MAINTENANCE PRACTICE, ODI IS CONCERNED THAT THE NEED TO FREQUENTLY RE-TORQUE THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS MAY BE INDICATIVE OF UNDERLYING DESIGN, ASSEMBLY, OR APPLICATION ISSUES THAT COULD AFFECT THE RETENTION INTEGRITY OF THE WHEEL MOUNTING SYSTEM. ALTHOUGH FLEETWOOD HAS ADVISED ODI THAT NO ADDITIONAL WHEEL SEPARATIONS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THEIR OCTOBER 29, 2003 DEFECT REPORT AND ASSOCIATED OWNER NOTIFICATION, ODI WILL OPEN AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE ISSUES THAT MAY BE CONTRIBUTING TO WHEEL SEPARATIONS IN FLEETWOOD VEHICLES.
About This Investigation Type
A Recall Query (RQ) evaluates the effectiveness of a previously issued recall. NHTSA opens an RQ when consumer complaints suggest that a recall remedy may not be adequately addressing the safety issue, or when the recall completion rate appears insufficient.
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.