The defect
Charles Machine Works Inc (Charles Machine) is recalling certain 2018 Ditch Witch VT17, 2018-2019 VT20 and VT24 trailers. The lock nuts that attach the hitch to the trailer may be insufficient to clamp the load after the hitch height has been adjusted.
The risk
Without a sufficient clamp load, the hitch may unexpectedly detach from the trailer, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Charles Machine has notified owners, and will provide new hardware, free of charge. The recall began June 28, 2019. Owners may contact Charles Machine customer service at 1-800-654-6481. Charles Machine's number for this recall is ID0568989.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Charles Machine Ditch Witch | 2018, 2019 |
Components: TRAILER HITCHES
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Machine Ditch Witch | 2018 | 0 | 3 |
| Charles Machine Ditch Witch | 2019 | 0 | 3 |
Other trailer hitches recalls in 2019
19 of the 880 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2019 concerned the trailer hitches; Charles Machine Works Inc filed 8 campaigns in all.
| 19V901000 18 Dec 2019 | MORryde International, Inc. |
| 19V891000 13 Dec 2019 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 19V847000 25 Nov 2019 | The Toro Company |
| 19V844000 25 Nov 2019 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 19V778000 30 Oct 2019 | Temp-Air, Inc |
| 19V760000 24 Oct 2019 | Southern Pride Distributing LLC |
| 19V753000 21 Oct 2019 | Airstream, Inc. |
| 19V708000 4 Oct 2019 | Outdoors RV Manufacturing |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2019