Braun equipment query EQ12005
Braun Wheelchair Lifts. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this equipment query about the equipment adaptive/mobility. Opened Apr 16, 2012, closed Dec 2, 2013 after 20 months. It led to safety recall 12V281000, 12V292000, 12V293000, 12V321000, 12V326000, 12V344000, 12V356000, 12V404000, 12V427000, 12V433000, 12V437000, 12V440000, 12V442000, 12V443000, 12V449000, 12V584000, 14V197000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn January, 31, 2012, Braun Corporation (Braun) notified the NHTSA that it had decided a defect exists in certain Century-2 and Vista-2 wheelchair lifts, manufactured from November 20, 2006 through September 10, 2010, and installed on various vans and transit buses. Over time and with frequent use, the roll stop latches on the outer barrier may become bent or misaligned. Should this occur, a wheelchair occupant may defeat or ride over the insufficiently latched roll stop. If this occurs when the lift platform is in an elevated position, the wheelchair's occupant could fall and sustain injury. NHTSA assigned recall number 12E-002 to this matter. On April 30, 2012, the Recall Management Division (RMD) mailed an Information Request (IR) letter to Braun requesting a list of all customers that purchased the defective wheelchair lifts. On May 10, 2012, Braun submitted a list of purchasers to NHTSA?s Office of the Chief Counsel (NCC) requesting confidentiality for its business records. On October 2, 2012, NCC responded to Braun?s request for confidentiality with a letter granting Braun?s request. On June 11, 2012, RMD mailed IR letters to sixteen (16) manufacturers that were detailed in Braun?s purchaser list. Seven (7) manufacturers chose to conduct safety recalls for their affected vehicles. Additionally, Forest River, Inc. submitted two (2) Part 573 Reports recalling both affected Forest River and Glaval Bus vehicles. Three (3) IR letters were undeliverable. Two (2) companies, Ameritrans Bus Company and Accubuilt, Inc. did not respond to RMD?s IR letter. Braun?s purchaser list also included a number of authorized dealerships that install and service Braun wheelchair lifts. RMD chose to contact twenty-seven (27) of these dealerships as they received sizable quantities of recalled wheelchair lifts which may have been installed on new vehicles. On August 21, 2012, RMD mailed an additional twenty-seven (27) IR letters these Braun dealerships. Twelve (12) companies provided responses explaining their product was returned, no actual defective product was received, or their units were not installed into new motor vehicles. Eight (8) companies filed Part 573 Reports and conducted safety recalls for their altered vehicles. Seven (7) of these companies did not respond to RMD?s IR letter. These nonresponsive companies were: Ride-Away Corporation, The Mobility Specialist, Cummings Mobility Conversions, Fenton Mobility Products, Advanced Wheels of Technology, Inc., and Gresham Driving Aids. In total, fifteen (15) companies filed Part 573 Reports with NHTSA and conducted safety recalls for this matter. The nine (9) companies that did not respond have been forwarded to NCC for possible enforcement action. This EQ influenced the following safety recalls:12V-326 - Prime-Time Specialty Vehicle, Inc. 12V-292 ? Molly Corporation 12V-344 ? Double K, Inc. 12V-404 ? Turtle Top 12V-281 ? Coach & Equipment Mfg. Corp. 12V-356 ? Eldorado National Kansas, Inc. 12V-293 ? Forest River, Inc. 12V-321 ? Forest River, Inc. / Glaval Bus 12V-427 ? Mobility Works 12V-442 ? Mobility Transportation Services, Inc. 12V-437 ? National Van Builders, Inc. 12V-433 ? Quality Van Sales, Inc. 12V-440 ? New England Wheels Inc. 12V-449 ? Mobility Services 12V-584 ? Creative Bus Sales, Inc. 12V-443 ? C&C MobilityThis EQ is closed.
A Equipment Query is a query about a piece of equipment — a component, a tire, a child seat — rather than a whole vehicle. 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 became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themNHTSA filed this action against Braun Corporation without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs EQ12005 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 12V281000, 12V292000, 12V293000, 12V321000, 12V326000, 12V344000, 12V356000, 12V404000, 12V427000, 12V433000, 12V437000, 12V440000, 12V442000, 12V443000, 12V449000, 12V584000, 14V197000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is EQ12005 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 2, 2013 and led to recall 12V281000, 12V292000, 12V293000, 12V321000, 12V326000, 12V344000, 12V356000, 12V404000, 12V427000, 12V433000, 12V437000, 12V440000, 12V442000, 12V443000, 12V449000, 12V584000, 14V197000.
Which vehicles does EQ12005 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Braun Corporation without naming a model year.