NHTSA Investigation PE07003

MOTORCYCLE TRAILER FENDER SEPARATION

SINCE OPENING THIS PE, ODI HAS INTERVIEWED THE TWO OWNERS IDENTIFIED IN THE OPENING RESUME, CONFIRMING THAT ONLY ONE HAD RELATED FENDER FAILURES.HIS TRAILER, BUILT IN FEBRUARY 2004 AND PURCHASED IN APRIL ?04, SUSTAINED TWO FENDER SUPPORT EVENTS.THE FIRST OCCURRED IN MAY ?06 INVOLVING THE LEFT FENDER.THEN, IN SEPT ?06, THE RIGHT FENDER SUPPORT FAILED.WE MET WITH THAT TRAILER OWNER, INSPECTED HIS TRAILER AND BOTH THE FAILED AND REMEDY PARTS.WE ALSO MET WITH JANCO AT ITS ASSEMBLY FACILITY, OBTAINING ITS RESPONSE TO OUR INQUIRY AND INSPECTING BOTH THE CURRENT AND FORMER TRAILER DESIGNS WHILE DISCUSSING THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THIS CASE.WE VISITED A LOCAL (D.C.) DEALER WHERE WE INSPECTED CURRENT 110 ST TRAILERS AS WELL.WE ALSO SURVEYED FOUR JANCO TRAILER DEALERS AND 31 SUBJECT TRAILER OWNERS FINDING NO OTHER REPORTS OF FENDER SUPPORT CRACKING AND/OR BREAKAGE.THUS, IN THE ABSENCE OF A SAFETY DEFECT TREND, WE ARE CLOSING THIS PE.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS AND WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.