- Vehicles
- 4,000
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 September 2002
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- AMES Cargo Carrier
- Northpole Cargo Carrier
What the defect is
Ames panorama cargo carrier which is attached to the top of a vehicle. All of these carriers are being recalled. The straps can rip and the carrier can fly off the vehicle.
What could happen
If the carrier flies off the vehicle while it is in motion, it could strike a pedestrian or another vehicle, possibly resulting in personal injury or a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
NORTHPOLE USA WILL NOTIFY ALL OF THE AMES DEPARTMENT STORES THAT THE CARRIER WAS PROVIDED TO AND REPURCHASE THEM. NOTIFICATION TO CUSTOMERS BEGAN SEPTEMBER 9, 2002.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 September 2002
- Owners notified11 September 2002
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 4 September 2002.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact northpole USA at 800-613-1225.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- NORTHPOLE USA
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.