The defect
ON CERTAIN CAR HAUL TRAILERS THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH ROOFS THAT RAISE AND LOWER, THE ROOFS ARE ATTACHED TO A RAISING/LOWERING MECHANISM BY ROUND TUBES THAT ARE WELDED TO THE ROOF. THERE ARE 4 TUBES WELDED TO EACH ROOF AND 2 ROOFS PER EACH COMPLETE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. THE BASE MATERIAL AROUND THE WELDED CONNECTION MAY EXPERIENCE A FATIGUE FAILURE DURING HIGH MILEAGE OPERATION.
The risk
SHOULD FAILURE OCCUR ON ALL FOUR LIFT POINTS, THE ROOF MIGHT SEPARATE FROM THE TRAILER INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH TO FOLLOWING VEHICLES.
The remedy
COTTRELL OR A REPAIR FACILITY AUTHORIZED BY COTRELL WILL ADD AN ADDITIONAL WELD PASS AROUND THE ROOF LIFT TUBE, INSTALL AN INNER AND OUTER GUSSET TYING THE ROOF INTO THE ROOF LIFT TUBE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN PRIOR TO NOVEMBER 21, 2007. ALL OWNERS HAVE BEEN CONTACTED.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
Components: STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2003 | 0 | 2 |
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2004 | 0 | 2 |
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2005 | 0 | 1 |
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2006 | 0 | 1 |
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2007 | 0 | 1 |
| Cottrell C-8ENC | 2008 | 0 | 1 |
Other structure recalls in 2007
30 of the 587 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2007 concerned the structure; COTTRELL, INC. filed 7 campaigns in all.
| 07V580000 18 Dec 2007 | BIG DOG MOTORCYCLES, LLC |
| 07V578000 18 Dec 2007 | TRUCK EQUIPMENT SERVICE COMPANY |
| 07V558000 12 Dec 2007 | GENIE INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 07V543000 27 Nov 2007 | FONTAINE MODIFICATION CO. |
| 07V542000 21 Nov 2007 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) |
| 07V509000 1 Nov 2007 | EAST SIDE CUSTOM CHOPPERS, INC. |
| 07V495000 22 Oct 2007 | ACTION AUTO BODY, INC. |
| 07V468000 4 Oct 2007 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2007