NHTSA Recall Query RQ06008

MCI ORIGINALLY FILED A DEFECT NOTIFICATION ON OCTOBER 20, 2003, (03V-411) TO ADDRESSCRACKS LOCATED ON THE TAG AXLE SWING ARM AT THE CONNECTION TO THE PIVOT SPINDLE TUBE.FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE (493) MCI G4500 2000-2003 MOTOR COACHES WERE INVOLVED.MCI?S ENGINEERING ANALYSIS DETERMINED THAT INSUFFICIENT WELD METAL AND /OR WELD PENETRATION ON THE FAILED COMPONENTS COULD RESULT IN EARLY STRESS AND FATIGUE CRACKS AT A WELD JOINING THE TAG AXLE TO THE PIVOT TUBE ASSEMBLY.MCI'S FIELD REPAIR CONSISTED OF INSPECTING AND RE-WELDING THE TAG AXLE SWING ARM.A SMALL PERCENTAGE WERE NOT REPAIRABLE AND REQUIRED A FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE SWING ARM. ON JULY 18, 2006, ODI WAS CONTACTED BY A FLEETALLEGING THAT THEY HAD THREE TAG AXLE ARMS CRACK AND SUBSEQUENTLY BREAK IN THE SAME AREA REPAIRED BY MCI DURING THE SAFETY RECALL.AS A RESULT, ODI OPENED THIS RQ.MCI CONDUCTED FURTHER ANALYSIS AND DETERMINED THAT SOME OF THE PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED SWING ARMS, REPAIRED DURING RECALL 03V-411 MAY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED WITH EXISTING UNIDENTIFIED MICRO-FRACTURES AND/OR WELDS WITH INSUFFICIENT PENETRATION.THIS COULD LEAD TO FURTHER CRACKING AND RESULT IN A PARTIAL OR TOTAL SEPARATION OR THE TAG ARM. AS A RESULT OF THIS INVESTIGATION, MCI HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW SAFETY RECALL IN WHICH THEY WILL REPLACE ALL THE TAG ARMS WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED TAG AXLE SWING ARM.MCI'S NEW RECALL ACTIONRESOLVES THIS INVESTIGATION.THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESSION OF THE NEW RECALL BEING CONDUCTED BY MCI.