Preliminary Evaluation · FAILURE · Opened 1986-12-15 · Closed 1987-04-15
Investigation
Action number
PE87008
Type
Preliminary Evaluation
Open date
1986-12-15
Close date
1987-04-15
Manufacturer
ARA MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Affected makes
BEALL; CLEMENT; CLOUGH; FRUEHAUF; JL TANK; NEWAY; PARAMOUNT; WELD-IT; WEST MARK; WESTERN
Affected components
SUSPENSION
Affected model years
1967, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987
Affected (make, year) variants
108
Summary
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:ROCKWELL REPORTED THAT MODELS TN& TQ TRAILER AXLES WERE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH NEWAY RC-122 SUSPENSION.LOADSIMPOSED UPON THOSE AXLES BY THE SUSPENSION WERE TOO GREAT FOR SUCCESSFULOPERATION DURING THE LIFE OF THE TRAILER.SIX FINAL STAGE MANUFACTURERSUTILIZING THE ABOVE COMBINATION CONDUCTED SAFETY RECALLS.FRUEHAUF ALSOCONDUCTED A SAFETY RECALL FOR SIMILAR REASONS.EATON CORPORATION NOWSTATES THAT THEY ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND WILL SUBMIT AWARNING LETTER ON THIS SUBJECT IN THE NEAR FUTURE.ANALYSIS:SEVEN OF THE KNOWN MANUFACTURERS HAVE CONDUCTED APPROPRIATESAFETY RECALLS.TWO ADDITIONAL MANUFACTURERS ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEOFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL.THREE OTHER MANUFACTURERS INVOLVED MAY BE OUT OFBUSINESS.PROPOSED ACTION:UPGRADE TO AN EA.EVALUATE EATON'S FORTHCOMING LETTER.===