Itasca preliminary evaluation PE10048
Hitch Receiver Fracture. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the trailer hitches on 13 model years (2006). Opened Dec 7, 2010, closed Dec 3, 2013 after 3.0 years without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedDuring this investigation, ODI identified 29 reports of cracked and/or fractured hitch receiver assemblies installed on the subject vehicles. The majority (27 of 29) of the reported hitch incidents occurred prior to the initiation of PE10-048 in December, 2010. This investigation has been characterized by (1) Scant forensic samples available for inspection and review since most of the reported incidents occurred prior to ODI?s investigation and pertinent material has been scrapped; (2) Uncertainty regarding the contributory role of issues such as unintended hitch contact with road surfaces, use of hitches with offsets that exceed Winnebago recommendations; and (3) Other usage factors. Based on reported failures, the indicated failure rate for detected and reported cracking /fracture incidents associated with the estimated population of subject vehicles was found to be 0.10% after the vehicles had been in service for between 6 and 8 years. Reports were higher in calendar year 2007 (9 reports) than in succeeding years 2008-2010 (3-5 reports per year) and 2011 (2 reports) and appear likely to decline further due to diminished use associated with vehicle aging. ODI is aware of only one consumer complaint (ODI# 10368002) in its files describing a hitch receiver malfunction in Winnebago-Itasca vehicles. As of September 2013, Winnebago has reported that there have been no additional incidents of cracked or fractured hitch receivers reported since the most recent incident reported in May 2011. A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. For more detailed information, see the attached closing report.
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: 2006 Itasca Cambria; 2006 Itasca Ellipse; 2006 Itasca Horizon; 2006 Itasca Impulse; 2006 Itasca Meridian; 2006 Itasca Navion; 2006 Itasca Spirit; 2006 Itasca Suncruiser; 2006 Itasca Sundancer; 2006 Itasca Sunflyer; 2006 Itasca Sunova; 2006 Itasca Sunrise; 2006 Itasca Sunstar.
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 PE10048 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 PE10048 still open?
No. It closed on Dec 3, 2013 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE10048 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 13 model years: 2006 Itasca Cambria, 2006 Itasca Ellipse, 2006 Itasca Horizon, 2006 Itasca Impulse, 2006 Itasca Meridian, 2006 Itasca Navion and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.