The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued several commercial vehicle recalls over the past two months after receiving safety reports from manufacturers. The affected vehicles may experience steering failure due to missing parts or mechanical failures.
Missing Parts Causing Steering Failure
R.H. Sheppard, a Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems subsidiary, filed a safety recall report on May 28 for more than 105,000 vehicles manufactured by 29 of its subsidiaries. Steering gears may fail in the affected vehicles due to missing recirculating balls. The steering gears may bind and strain if the balls align, ultimately fracturing the internal structure. Drivers may lose the ability to steer, putting them at an increased risk for an accident.
Affected commercial truck manufacturers include three Daimler Truck North America subsidiaries, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Navistar, and Volvo Trucks North America. Sheppard estimates the issue only affects 1% of the recalled vehicles. Daimler issued a separate report indicating the recall affected nearly 6500 of its vehicles. Volvo reported that the issue affected a little more than 1600 of its tractor-trailers.
Failing Parts Causing Steering Failure
Paccar Inc. reported a steering issue with several of its Peterbilt and Kenworth vehicles on April 25. The safety recall indicates that axel steer arm fasteners may fail. The fasteners connect the steering arm to the knuckle. If the fastener fails, the driver may lose the ability to steer and is more likely to experience an accident.
Paccar reported that the issue affects specific 2018-2020 Kenworth and Peterbilt vehicles. These include:
Kenworth
- T270
- T370
- T440
- T470
- T660
- T680
- T800
- T880
- W900
- W990
Peterbilt Models
- 330
- 337
- 348
- 365
- 367
- 389
- 520
- 567
- 579
Paccar estimates that the issue only affects 1% of the recalled commercial trucks.
NHTSA issues safety recalls to remove vehicles from the roads that pose an unreasonable safety risk. Contact the experts at Interstate Motor Carriers to learn more about ensuring the safety of your fleet vehicles and drivers.