Kaufman Suspension: Non-Powered Axle Assembly

Kaufman is recalling about 302 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. The oil may leak out of the wheel end caps and if the condition is not corrected, the loss of oil could result in unexpected wheel bearing failure which may increase the risk of a crash.

Campaign
12V410000
Manufacturer
Kaufman Trailers
Reported
21 August 2012
Vehicles
302
Built between
Not published
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
14 September 2012
Repaired
42%
Unrepaired
0

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.

  • 2011 Kaufman Flatbed

Repair progress

The manufacturer reports every reachable vehicle in this recall has been repaired, as of Q1 2015.

42% repaired — 127 of 302 reported

Owners not reachable
175

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Kaufman Trailers of NC, Inc. and Kaufman Trailers of NE, Inc. (Kaufman) is recalling certain model year 2011 flatbed trailers equipped with 10,000 lb. electrically-braked, oil bath axles. The wheel end caps on the oil bath axles can leak due to a cracked cap or a damaged O-ring.

What could happen

The oil may leak out of the wheel end caps and if the condition is not corrected, the loss of oil could result in unexpected wheel bearing failure which may increase the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Kaufman will notify owners and will replace the affected wheel end caps and o-rings free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2012.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA21 August 2012
  2. Owners notified14 September 2012
  3. Latest repair reportQ1 2015 — 42% repaired

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 21 August 2012.

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 Kaufman Trailers at 1-866-444-8971.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Kaufman Trailers
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

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 www.safercar.gov.

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