- Vehicles
- 57
- Built between
- Dec 1998 – Jul 2003
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- Not yet
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between December 1998 and July 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998-2003 General Trailer TrailerBuilt December 1998 to July 2003
What the defect is
On certain trailers equipped with sealco spring brake control valve assemblies incorporated in arvinmeritor axles, part nos. 110700 and 110800, there is a recessed area on top of the valve in which a brass guide pin fits down inside the body of the valve and is held in place by a steel snap ring. The recessed area allows accumulation of water, dirt, and/or chemicals to build up behind the snap ring to the point where it will no longer contain the guide pin resulting in a failure of the air valve.
What could happen
Failure of the valve in an empty or lightly loaded trailer while the vehicle is in motion could result in a hard application of the spring brakes, possibly locking up the trailer wheels and resulting in a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
SEALCO WILL PROVIDE A REPAIR KIT AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS TO CUSTOMERS FREE OF CHARGE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtDecember 1998 to July 2003
- Recall reported to NHTSA13 August 2003
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 13 August 2003.
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 sealco at 602-253-1007 or general trailer at 541-746-8218.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL TRAILER PARTS LLC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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.