The defect
ZIMMERMAN IS RECALLING 1 MY 2006 STERLING LT 8500 EQUIPPED WITH A WATSON & CHALIN AUXILIARY AXLE. THE LOWER CAST ARMS COULD FRACTURE WHICH COULD AFFECT THE SUSPENSION'S ABILITY TO LIFT THE AXLE WHEN IT IS NOT NEEDED.
The risk
WARNINGS OF A SITUATION WHERE ONE SIDE OF THE UNIT DOES NOT LIFT AS MUCH AS THE OTHER SIDE, A VERTICAL VIBRATION OR ERRATIC BEHAVIOR OF THE SUSPENSION COULD OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
WATSON & CHALIN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE REPAIR KITS ALONG WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS. OWNERS MAY CONTACT WATSON & CHALIN MANUFACTURING AT 1-800-445-0736 OR ZIMMERMAN INDUSTRIES AT 888-577-6499.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Sterling LT 8500 | 2006 |
Components: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling LT 8500 | 2006 | 0 | 1 |
Other suspension recalls in 2008
38 of the 683 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2008 concerned the suspension.
| 08V667000 18 Dec 2008 | HINO MOTORS SALES U.S.A., INC. |
| 08V619000 24 Nov 2008 | NAVISTAR, INC |
| 08V608000 24 Nov 2008 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| 08V601000 19 Nov 2008 | WILSON TRAILER COMPANY |
| 08V573000 30 Oct 2008 | WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 08V564000 23 Oct 2008 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 08V540000 15 Oct 2008 | COACHMEN RV COMPANY, LLC |
| 08V485000 24 Sept 2008 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2008