Tag Archives: safety recall

AAJ Supports Trailer Safety Recall Petition: “NHTSA is well within its authority to issue a recall”

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The American Association for Justice (AAJ) supports our petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall semitrailers due to lack of side underride guards. We received a letter of support from AAJ on October 25, 2021:

AAJ Letter of Support – Trailer Safety Recall Petition

Of particular significance is this statement in the AAJ letter to Secretary Buttigieg:

Van-type and box semitrailers vehicles that do not have underride guards are defective in design, under the statutory definition of defect, because they are missing the critical safety feature of the side underride guard. NHTSA is well within its authority to issue a recall on this critical design defect, that clearly poses an unreasonable risk to highway safety.

Meanwhile, we have been assured by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation that they are taking this petition into serious consideration. And now we wait to find out exactly what that will mean.

Here is our letter to Secretary Buttigieg on September 14, 2021, which accompanied our petition for a safety recall due to the lack of side underride guards:

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 30162 and 49 C.F.R § 552.1, please find our petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promptly initiate a safety defect investigation into van-type or box semitrailers because of a known safety hazard and defect from collisions with passenger vehicles and other vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists) resulting in death and significant injuries due to a lack of side underride guards. This investigation will clearly demonstrate that NHTSA should issue a recall order pursuant to 49 U.S.C. §§ 30118(b), 30119, and 30120 for all van-type and box semitrailers that lack side underride guards.  

Respectfully,

Eric Hein, Jerry and Marianne Karth, and Lois Durso

Petition: NHTSA Underride recall v2

Petition for NHTSA To Recall Semitrailers Due To Lack Of Side Underride Guards

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

On September 14, 2021, a petition was submitted to NHTSA to investigate and recall semitrailers due to the lack of side underride guards which would prevent catastrophic injuries and deaths.

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 30162 and 49 C.F.R § 552.1, please find our petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promptly initiate a safety defect investigation into van-type or box semitrailers because of a known safety hazard and defect from collisions with passenger vehicles and other vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists) resulting in death and significant injuries due to a lack of side underride guards. This investigation will clearly demonstrate that NHTSA should issue a recall order pursuant to 49 U.S.C. §§ 30118(b), 30119, and 30120 for all van-type and box semitrailers that lack side underride guards.  

Respectfully,

Eric Hein, Jerry and Marianne Karth, and Lois Durso

We welcome letters of support to reinforce the importance of this vital recall.

Petition Letter:

NHTSA Underride recall v2

Letter of Support Received from the American Association for Justice on October 25, 2021:

AAJ Letter of Support – Trailer Safety Recall Petition

Volvo Truck Recall; Decisive Action Taken by Volvo & FMCSA Exhibits Vision Zero Thinking

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

Here is an encouraging Vision Zero action. Though it is not good that there is a safety defect in some Volvo trucks, at least decisive action is being taken by Volvo to recall the vehicles, as well as action by FMCSA to declare these trucks Out-Of-Service if they are found on the road without the necessary repair.

FMCSA Volvo Truck Safety Recall Notice

On February 16, 2016, Volvo Trucks initiated a safety recall affecting nearly 16,000 Class 8 motor vehicles in the United States. According to Volvo, a condition exists which could lead to separation of the steering shaft from the junction block.

Also, the bolt connecting the upper steering shaft to the lower steering shaft may not have been properly tightened. Volvo’s report to NHTSA states that either condition can lead to separation of the steering shaft and immediate loss of steering ability and control, which could lead to a crash.

Volvo Trucks issued a Safety Recall Alert on March 10, which directed all owners of the affected vehicles to take the vehicles out of operation as soon as possible and cautioned that the separation can occur without warning and amended its safety recall on March 15, alerting NHTSA of the more serious hazard.

Volvo Trucks strongly recommends that these vehicles remain out of service until repairs are made. NHTSA is overseeing Volvo Truck’s recall efforts to ensure prompt notification of the defect to vehicle owners and that vehicles are not operated in a defective condition. . .

Additionally, to assist with notification efforts, on March 18, 2016, FMCSA posted an Inspection Bulletin on its website.

Urgent Inspection Bulletin: Safety Recall Issued By Volvo Trucks – See more at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/urgent-inspection-bulletin-safety-recall-issued-volvo-trucks#sthash.B6yEYAQI.dpuf

Volvo Safety Recall Alert: Steering Shaft

Volvo Safety Recall Alert Steering Shaft.pdf

I applaud all such actions which have the potential to prevent crashes and save lives.

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Mary 2009