Palomino preliminary evaluation PE14008
Brake Surface Grease Contamination. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the service brakes, electric on 3 model years (2013–2014). Opened Mar 20, 2014, closed Oct 7, 2014 after 7 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 8 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) alleging grease contamination on the trailer brake shoes or drums. This condition could potentially increase the towing vehicle's stopping distance and therefore increase the risk of a crash. During the investigation, ODI received 2 additional VOQs alleging the same problem. ODI sent Information Request letters to Forest River and the component supplier, Lippert Components, Inc. (LCI).In response, each provided complaint and warranty information for the subject & peer vehicles and components respectively. ODI visited multiple Recreational Vehicle (RV) dealers to survey their pre-delivery and maintenance inspections. In addition to local dealerships, ODI visited the Columbus, Forest River and LCI axle plants. ODI observed the hub assembly process at LCI and noted that the hub and bearings are assembled at a subassembly station and greased before transferring them to the main line for assembly on the axle. This allows for grease to escape the seal before ever being assembled. If the grease is not completely removed by the employee just prior to assembly, it may remain on the braking surface. A thorough review of the available data revealed one crash. The crash was minor and although an injury was reported, ODI was not able to confirm as no police report had been generated. ODI attempted to interview both parties; however, the subject vehicle owner was the only respondent. At the time of the incident, no injuries were apparent and the police therefore did not respond. The subject vehicle owner later learned that the other party claimed an injury. ODI's review of warranty data indicated that most owners recognized an issue with their trailer brakes early in the life of the trailer. RVs are typically returned to the dealer for warranty work after the first month or two of ownership. Many units were corrected during this initial break in period. Others were corrected when receiving the first annual service, as is recommended in the owner's manual. Grease on the vehicle's braking surface can diminish the vehicle's brake performance. However, as this issue exists at the time the trailer is originally purchased and does not get progressively worse over time and given that the trailers have one to two years in service with no significant events as the result of brake degradation, ODI does not believe this condition presents an unreasonable risk to safety. Forest River has initiated an Owner Notification Program (ONP) and will alert each subject vehicle owner that their unit should be inspected for grease on the braking surfaces if they have not already done so. LCI claims to have improved their training and material handling practices to reduce future issues. This investigation is closed as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers: 110546092, 10560304, 10561961, 10563621, 10563591, 10564143, 10563464, 10567696, 10577479, 10587690
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: 2013 Palomino 365RL Columbus Fifth Whee; 2013 Palomino Columbus; 2014 Palomino Columbus.
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 PE14008 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 PE14008 still open?
No. It closed on Oct 7, 2014 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE14008 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2013 Palomino 365RL Columbus Fifth Whee, 2013 Palomino Columbus, 2014 Palomino Columbus. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.