Iota preliminary evaluation PE15033
Transfer Switch Heat Related Failures. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the electrical system. Opened Sep 28, 2015, closed Jun 17, 2016 after 9 months. It led to safety recall 15V698000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn November 5, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) sent an email to IOTA Engineering LLC (IOTA) requesting certain information about the automatic transfer switches recalled by several recreation vehicle (RV) manufacturers. IOTA responded with emails dated November 13, 2015 and May 23, 2016. In their response, IOTA stated that it sold 15,330 automatic transfer switches to 42 RV manufacturers who, along with IOTA, have not submitted defect information reports to the agency in accordance with 49 CFR 573.6. ODI contacted 2 of these 42 RV manufacturers about the subject components and they both report that no safety defect trend has been identified. Furthermore, IOTA states that it has made a determination that the subject components themselves are not defective and when installed correctly in its intended application the switch performs reliably and without incident. More than one RV manufacturer who did conduct a safety recall acknowledges that sporadic installation error was likely responsible for at least some thermal events experienced on their vehicles. Once the alleged defect trend became apparent, several RV manufacturers paid special attention to installation processes, yet thermal events continued to occur on their vehicles. Furthermore, some RV manufacturers allege that re-torqueing of the terminal screws did not remedy the alleged defect and there may possibly be other as-of-yet unidentified reasons why properly torqued terminal screws may loosen over time resulting in a high resistance connection. While no RV manufacturer has identified a single specific root cause for thermal events involving the subject component, the frequency of thermal events reportedly diminished significantly once they changed transfer switch suppliers. To date, ODI is aware of 31 complaints related to thermal damage of automatic transfer switches manufactured by IOTA. However, all 31 complaints are related to the performance of existing safety recalls, such as scope or owner notification issues, some of which have already been addressed by the respective manufacturers. A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time as relates to the subject components installed by the 42 other RV manufacturers who have so far chosen not to conduct a safety recall. Further use of agency resources does not appear 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. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 10458296, 10461090, 10465791, 10469372, 10480786, 10491941, 10503017, 10512327, 10522811, 10534897, 10554925, 10567361, 10568410, 10568426, 10585655, 10610552, 10621358, 10629759, 10631603, 10649954, 10716665, 10726758, 10732068, 10746664, 10782102, 10782203, 10782851, 10787730, 10808577, 10819325, 10852246.
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 themNHTSA filed this action against IOTA ENGINEERING, LLC without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE15033 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 15V698000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE15033 still open?
No. It closed on Jun 17, 2016 and led to recall 15V698000.
Which vehicles does PE15033 cover?
NHTSA filed it against IOTA ENGINEERING, LLC without naming a model year.