NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE15011

The 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 imp