- Vehicles
- 1,951
- Built between
- May 2014 – May 2015
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 19 May 2016
- Repaired
- 70%
- Unrepaired
- 576
Safety advisories
Do not drive this vehicle
NHTSA and the manufacturer advise that affected vehicles should not be driven until the recall repair has been completed. Contact your dealer to arrange the repair, and ask about transport in the meantime.
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 2014 and May 2015. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Zf Group RL 77 Axle SystemBuilt May 2014 to May 2015
- Zf Group RL 80EM Axle SystemBuilt May 2014 to May 2015
Repair progress
576 of 1,951 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2017.
70% repaired — 1,375 of 1,951 reported
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
ZF North America, Inc. (ZF) is recalling certain RL 77, and RL 80 EM axle assemblies, part numbers 4474077034, 4474077019, 447407718, 4474077021, 4474077020, 4474077036, 4474077026, and 44740770 manufactured May 1, 2014, to May 29, 2015. Certain ZF RL77 / 80EM independent front steering axles equipped with Bosch 8018 steering boxes. The boxes were manufactured using incorrect internal spacers that can cause premature wear in the connection between the steering wheel and the front axle.
What could happen
The steering wheel's connection to the front axle could fail resulting in a sudden loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
ZF has notified its vehicle manufacturing purchasers and will work with them on executing free recall remedies for all affected vehicles. The recall began on May 19, 2016. Owners are urged not to drive their vehicles until they have been inspected.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 2014 to May 2015
- Recall reported to NHTSA13 May 2016
- Owners notified19 May 2016
- Latest repair reportQ3 2017 — 70% 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 13 May 2016.
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 ZF customer service at 1-734-416-6200.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- ZF North America, Inc.
- 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 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.