Harley-Davidson preliminary evaluation PE15015
Inconsistent Throttle Response. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the delivery on 2 model years (2015). Opened Apr 20, 2015, closed Aug 18, 2015 after 4 months. It led to safety recall 15V474000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThis investigation was opened on April 20, 2015 to investigate reports of inconsistent throttle control on all MY 2015 HD XG750 and XG500 motorcycles. At the time, ODI had 14 consumer complaints and no crashes reported. At the time of closing this investigation ODI has 51 reports (6 of which allege a crash occurred). In addition to requesting information from Harley-Davidson (HD), ODI interviewed complainants and dealer service/parts department personnel. ODI staff also test rode one of the crash bikes to experience the alleged condition first-hand. At low fuel levels (typically below .8 gallon), the engine may stumble and/or stall when fuel flow from the pump to engine is interrupted. This is due to a poor seal at the fuel pump inlet. Ultimately, HD decided to recall (15V-474) the affected motorcycles (MY 2015 XG500 and XG750 produced 1-20-14 through 6-24-15) to install a new fuel pump assembly. With the recall, our information request is moot and this PE is closed.
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 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: 2015 Harley-Davidson XG500; 2015 Harley-Davidson XG750.
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 PE15015 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 15V474000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE15015 still open?
No. It closed on Aug 18, 2015 and led to recall 15V474000.
Which vehicles does PE15015 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2015 Harley-Davidson XG500, 2015 Harley-Davidson XG750. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.