Vehicle report

2006 HEIL CALIFORNIA PULL

Defect investigations

1 action

PE05067 · PE

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS Investigation

ODI DETERMINED THAT TWO SUBJECT TRAILERS EXPERIENCED COMPLETE FRAME SEPARATIONS. HEIL HAD INITIATED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION PROGRAM, WHICH PAID FOR THE COMPLETE REPAIR OF ALL SUBJECT TRAILERS.GIVEN THAT THE SUBJECT TRAILERS WERE FUEL TANKERS, ODI WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HEIL'S DECISION TO CONDUCT A FIELD ACTION IN LIEU OF A SAFETY RECALL.AFTER REVIEWING HEIL'S PRIOR RECALL HISTORY AND DISCUSSING THE FAILURES WITH INVOLVED FLEETS, ODI CONTACTED HEIL TO DISCUSS THE MATTER.DURING OUR DISCUSSION, THE SAFETY RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH A 6,000 GALLON GASOLINE TANKER SEPARATING FROM THE TOW BAR MECHANISM WERE DISCUSSED. AS A RESULT, HEIL DECIDED TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL.

Reading this report

Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.