Fleetwood and Western Star defect petition DP26002
Redundant wheel fastener locking mechanism. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this defect petition about the lugs/nuts/bolts/studs on 2 model years (2019–2021). Opened Mar 4, 2026, closed Aug 13, 2026 after 5 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition on November 21, 2025, requesting a defect investigation to “determine whether the absence of a redundant mechanical wheel-fastener locking mechanism constitutes a safety-related defect in motor vehicles and motor-vehicle equipment” in the heavy-vehicle sector. On March 4, 2026, NHTSA opened Defect Petition DP26002 to evaluate the petitioner's request. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11703245. The petitioner focused on all vehicles utilizing the 10-285.75 mm bolt wheels, also known as 10 Hole 22.5" Hub Pilot Wheels, as the subject of the petition. ODI conducted a comprehensive search of Vehicle Owner Questionnaire's (VOQ) and Early Warning Reporting (EWR) data for vehicles equipped with the subject wheels. Furthermore, ODI reviewed six months of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Motor Carrier Management Information System violation data for commercial vehicles cited for loose/missing wheel fasteners. After a review of this data, ODI has found insufficient evidence to support the petitioner's claim that a safety-related defect exists. The data indicates that instances of loose or missing fasteners typically occur at higher mileages following fleet maintenance activities, rather than as a result of an inherent vehicle manufacturing or design defect. Furthermore, commercial motor vehicle operators are required to conduct daily pre-trip inspections to detect and mitigate loose fasteners before operation. In the absence of a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requiring wheels to have a redundant locking system and given the lack of evidence establishing a systemic safety defect, ODI is denying this Defect Petition. The denial of this petition does not foreclose the agency from taking further action if warranted or making a future finding that a safety-related defect exists based upon additional information the agency may receive. To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
A Defect Petition is a petition from a member of the public asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; the agency grants or denies it and publishes the reasons. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the resumes carrying the full reasoning are linked below.
The paperwork NHTSA filed
Source: every document on this action, at nhtsa.gov- Opening resume — ODI’s own summary of why it opened this — the subject, what prompted it, and the vehicles in scope.
- Closing resume — ODI’s own summary of why it closed this, and what it concluded.
| Document | Code | Filed | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening resume | INOA | 2026 | |
| Closing resume | INCLA | 2026 | |
| Filed document | INDA | 2026 | |
| Filed document | INBC | 2026 | 5 files 12345 |
| Filed document | INCV | 2026 | |
| Filed document | INOV | 2026 |
These are NHTSA’s own files, served from the agency’s site — the resumes are what ODI wrote when it opened and closed the action, and the rest is the correspondence behind them, including what the manufacturer sent when the agency asked. They are linked, not copied: where a document names the people who wrote in, that redaction is the agency’s to make and its copy is the one you should read.
What owners had already reported
Source: complaints on file the day it openedWhen NHTSA opened this on Mar 4, 2026, owners had filed 5 complaints with the agency about the model years above, of which 2 named the wheels NHTSA went on to investigate. Owner complaints are the agency’s main early signal: ODI screens them, and a Preliminary Evaluation is usually where a pattern in them ends up.
This is what the complaint file held on that date, not a claim about which reports prompted the investigation — NHTSA’s complaint records carry no investigation number, so nobody can make that link from the data alone. The opening resume linked above names the reports ODI itself cited. Complaint records on this site begin with 2016.
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 closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2021 Fleetwood Fortis; 2019 Western Star 5700.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs DP26002 a recall?
No. A defect petition 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 DP26002 still open?
No. It closed on Aug 13, 2026 without a recall.
Which vehicles does DP26002 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2021 Fleetwood Fortis, 2019 Western Star 5700. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.