Mobile Suites preliminary evaluation PE10040
Wheel Separation (Broken Studs). NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the lugs/nuts/bolts/studs on 3 model years (2008–2010). Opened Oct 14, 2010, closed May 27, 2011 after 7 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedAs a part of PE10-040 investigation activities for both monitoring and to provide candidates for on-site field examinations, ODI had requested Doubletree RV (DRV) to inform ODI of all newly reported wheel separation incidents. DRV has reported two newly-reported incidents since October, 2010. (1) On November 3, 2010, DRV reported the complete separation of the left (driver side) - forward wheel assembly mounted to a 2010 model year DRV Mobile Suites RV equipped with aluminum wheels mounted on eight 9/16 wheel mounting studs.(2) On May 2, 2011, DRV reported the complete separation of the right (passenger side) - rear wheel assembly mounted to a 2010 model year Elite Suites RV equipped with aluminum wheels mounted on eight 5/8 wheel mounting studs. ODI, in conjunction DRV representatives, visited and inspected both of these vehicles shortly after receiving notification of the incident (before repairs were attempted) for the purpose of identifyingcontributory issues associated with components, component interfaces, and/or maintenance issues prior to pertinent evidence being lost or altered in the repair process.***** To improve the mounting surface quality in new production vehicles, DRV instructed that paint be removed from hub faces as of January, 2011. DRV also issued an owner letter in January, 2011 advising owners to check lug nut torque and notify DRV in the event of any owner concerns or problems regarding loosening or inability of the wheel retention system to maintain the specified torque.***** The occurrence of a wheel end separation incidents prompts concern about the wheel end retention integrity of DRV units in the field and justifies further investigation activity.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the 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 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: 2008 Mobile Suites MY; 2009 Mobile Suites MY; 2010 Mobile Suites MY.
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 PE10040 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation 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 PE10040 still open?
No. It closed on May 27, 2011 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE10040 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2008 Mobile Suites MY, 2009 Mobile Suites MY, 2010 Mobile Suites MY. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.