Utility Service Brakes, Air: Check Valve

Utility is recalling about 2,620 vehicles over a problem with the service brakes, air. This condition can result in the affected vehicles being unable to apply the trailer parking/emergency spring brakes during parking in the event of a trailer supply line failure.

Campaign
02V139003
Manufacturer
UTILITY TRAILER MFG. CO.
Reported
16 May 2002
Vehicles
2,620
Built between
Mar 2000 – May 2001
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
Not yet
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 2000 and May 2001. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2000-2001 Utility TrailerBuilt March 2000 to May 2001

What the defect is

On certain trailers equipped with bendix SR-5 trailer spring brake valve assemblies, the molded rubber face of the inlet/exhaust valve (i/e valve) component of the affected valves can separate from the valve's metal insert. Air can be trapped by a separated i/e valve causing it to balloon and block the exhaust passage of the trailer spring brake circuit.

What could happen

This condition can result in the affected vehicles being unable to apply the trailer parking/emergency spring brakes during parking in the event of a trailer supply line failure. Unintended rollaway could occur, possibly resulting in personal injury or death to the vehicle occupant or any bystanders.

What gets fixed

BENDIX WILL NOTIFY CUSTOMERS AND PROVIDE A REPAIR KIT AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FREE OF CHARGE.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2000 to May 2001
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA16 May 2002

No owner-notification date has been published yet. Manufacturers normally write to registered owners within 60 days of reporting a recall.

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 16 May 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 who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact bendix at 440-329-9000 or utility trailer at 1-800-423-6591.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
UTILITY TRAILER MFG. CO.
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.

Same component

Same brand