Outlaw and Hawk audit query AQ17005
Recall administration. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this audit query about the helmets. Opened Sep 1, 2017, closed Jan 16, 2025 after 7.4 years without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedNHTSA opened this Audit Query (AQ) on September 1, 2017 to investigate concerns regarding the compliance of Tegol, Inc. (Tegol) with its recall reporting and recall remedy obligations on multiple recalls involving motorcycle helmets. The agency’s concerns included Tegol’s failure to submit or timely submit quarterly reports for NHTSA Recall Nos. 17E-015 and 16E-062 and numerous consumer complaints regarding Tegol’s failure to provide the required remedy for Recall Nos. 17E-015, 14E-069, 13E-047, and 12E-051. Each of these recalls involves motorcycle helmets imported and distributed by Tegol that fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218. During this AQ, the agency served a Special Order on Tegol on November 9, 2017 to obtain additional information regarding Tegol and its compliance with the recall reporting and recall remedy obligations in the subject recalls. Tegol’s written response and document production was seriously deficient and largely nonresponsive. Tegol subsequently appears to have gone out of business. According to public records, Tegol’s corporate status has been suspended by the State of California. Under the circumstances, NHTSA is closing this investigation. Based on the available information and the recalls Tegol has filed, motorcyclists should not wear several models of Outlaw or Hawk helmets imported by Tegol. These recalled helmets do not meet minimum safety requirements and motorcyclists who use these helmets are at increased risk of injury or death, should they be involved in a crash while wearing any of these helmets. Specifically, since 2012, Tegol recalled certain helmets of the following models: ·      AX-30010 Outlaw Carbon Tech Glossy, AX-30020 Outlaw Carbon Tech Matte, and AX-30030 Outlaw Carbon Tech Red, Recall 12E0-051 ·      AX-3 Series, AX4-series, and TG-5 Series, Recall 13E-047 ·      Hawk GLD-900 Series, Recall 14E-069 ·      Outlaw Slim G Series, Recall 16E-062 ·      Outlaw V-5 Series, Recall 17E-015 NHTSA also urges motorcyclists not to wear Outlaw T-75 series motorcycle helmets because they failed to meet certain requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards when tested by NHTSA, including requirements for protecting a rider during a crash. The Outlaw T-75 helmets were imported and sold by Tegol, which did not conduct a recall of these helmets before going out of business. NHTSA's compliance tests of the Outlaw T-75 helmets are available on the Agency’s website: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ctr/9999/TRTR-645544-2018-001.pdf; https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ctr/9999/TRTR-645545-2018-001.pdf. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA about Tegol’s compliance with the Vehicle Safety Act. Additionally, the Agency notes that the Vehicle Safety Act states: “A manufacturer’s filing of a petition in bankruptcy under chapter 7 or chapter 11 of title 11 does not negate the manufacturer’s duty to comply with section 30112 or sections 30115 through 30120 of this title,� which include the recall provisions of the Act. NHTSA will take additional action as appropriate, including if it learns that Tegol re-engages in business activity, including by importing, offering for sale, or selling motorcycle helmets.
A Audit Query is an audit of the manufacturer's own reporting obligations — early-warning data, recall notices, remedy — rather than of a vehicle condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one is closed. A audit query ends with NHTSA’s finding on the recall it examined — the remedy stands, is widened, or a new campaign follows; the file names the recall it concerned and NHTSA’s closing resume carries the reasoning.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themNHTSA filed this action against Tegol, Inc. without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs AQ17005 a recall?
No. A audit query is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is AQ17005 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 16, 2025 without a recall.
Which vehicles does AQ17005 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Tegol, Inc. without naming a model year.