Winnebago preliminary evaluation PE15011
Entry Step Failures. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the electrical system on 5 model years (2012–2016). Opened Apr 6, 2015, closed Jan 8, 2016 after 9 months. It led to safety recall 15V866000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) which reported an injury related to the unintentional deployment of the electric entry step on a subject vehicle. The owner reported to Winnebago that the steps extended while in motion. Service personnel from Winnebago instructed the owner to disconnect the wire harness at the steps to prevent them from extending while traveling and then reconnect when needed. The owner did this and was subsequently pinned beneath the steps when they extended upon reconnecting the wire harness. When deployed the steps extend approximately thirty (30) inches from the side of the vehicle. This reach facilitates easy entry into the motor home, but creates a hazard when unintentionally deployed in transit. The driver may not be immediately aware the stepsare extended which increases the possibility of striking another object or person. During the investigation, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to collect information from Winnebago. ODI analyzed this data and determined that a significant number of claims reported entry steps failures. Many of these claims specifically stated the steps extended while the vehicle was in transit. Winnebago service personnel offered multiple options to temporally disable the entry steps so that travelers could safely drive the vehicle. Depending on the situation fixes ranged from sending a field service technician, to instructing the individual to disconnect the wire harness the same as the owner who submitted the VOQ. A review of the time to failure indicated that most failures occur early in the vehicle's life. The average time to failure was five (5) months in service. Most reported failures occurred within the first year of ownership. ODI determined no design or installation changes had been made to the subject components prior to opening this investigation. Over the course of the investigation Winnebago identified several opportunities for improvement. Changes were made to current production to improve entry door reliability and durability in August 2015. Winnebago has submitted recall 15V-866. This recall covers vehicles produced between August 1, 2014 and August 31, 2015. With the recall action taken by Winnebago, this investigation is closed as further use of agency personnel does not appear to be warranted. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers:10693551
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 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 | 2015 | |
| Closing resume | INCLA | 2015 | |
| Information request to the manufacturer | INIM | 2015 | |
| Correspondence | INOT | 2015 |
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 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 themAlso named: 2012 Winnebago Sightseer; 2013 Winnebago Sightseer; 2014 Winnebago Sightseer; 2015 Winnebago Sightseer; 2016 Winnebago Sightseer.
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 PE15011 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 15V866000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE15011 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 8, 2016 and led to recall 15V866000.
Which vehicles does PE15011 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 5 model years: 2012 Winnebago Sightseer, 2013 Winnebago Sightseer, 2014 Winnebago Sightseer, 2015 Winnebago Sightseer, 2016 Winnebago Sightseer. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.