Autotech Steering: Column

Autotech is recalling about 961 vehicles over a problem with the steering. A broken sas driving tab may result in unnecessary brake activation of a selected wheel during the ignition cycle in which the failure occurs, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.

Campaign
09E038000
Manufacturer
DOUGLAS AUTOTECH CORP.
Reported
19 June 2009
Vehicles
961
Built between
Jun 2007 – May 2009
Models
1
Recall type
Equipment
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
21 July 2009
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 2007 and May 2009. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • Autotech 900 SeriesBuilt June 2007 to May 2009

What the defect is

Douglas autotech (dac) is recalling 961 series 900 steering column assemblies, dac p/nos. 9204584, 9204515, 9204543, 9204538, 9204547, 9204532, 9204556, 1900055, 9204534, 9204536, 9204546, 9204596, 9204597, 9204586, 9204521, 9204559, 9204570, 9204585, 8001015, 9204535, 9204592, manufactured between june 29, 2007 and may 20, 2009, equipped with meritor wabco steering angle sensors (sas), p/nos. 444 120 004 0, 400 850 647 0, and 400 850 666 0, with serial numbers below 3404. The affected steering column assemblies were shipped as original equipment for use in motor coaches and emergency vehicles. Internal friction can develop between the sensor gears and the sensor housing as a result of external forces experienced on the vehicle including vibration. If developed friction is great enough, the driving tab of the sas can sheer as the driver turns the steering wheel.

What could happen

A broken sas driving tab may result in unnecessary brake activation of a selected wheel during the ignition cycle in which the failure occurs, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.

What gets fixed

EACH VEHICLE MANUFACTURER WILL PROVIDE A REMEDY PLAN AND NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE. THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WILL BE REPAIRED WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE OWNERS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 2007 to May 2009
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA19 June 2009
  3. Owners notified21 July 2009

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 19 June 2009.

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 may contact their vehicle manufacturer or meritor wabco at 1-859-525-3676 or dac at 1-270-885-9200.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
DOUGLAS AUTOTECH CORP.
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

Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .

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