Investigation PE88024: Vehicles

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Feb 5, 1988

Closed

Mar 25, 1988

Model years

—

Subject

Poor lug retention

Component: Suspension

Summary

Summary:in april, 1987 john deere & co. (deere) notified users of itsmotorhome chassis that wheel simulators which used the wheel lug nuts forattachment ...can cause lug nuts to loosen.the notification created adialog between wheel simulator manufacturers and deere which resulted inthe identification of three manufacturers which had wheel simulators whichdid not interfere with the wheel/lug nut joint.it was necessary for kaperto redesign their wheel simulator and conduct testing to meet deere'srequirements.kaper notified rv business that its new wheel simulators hadbeen redesigned, tested, and found not to interfere with the wheel/lug nutjoint.neither kaper or deere have any owner reports of wheel problemsattributable to simulators, though deere does identify 9 warranty claimsthat may be related. #===

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.