Autocar Suspension: Spindle

Autocar is recalling about 43 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. If the spindle nuts loosen, the wheel assembly may separate from the rear axle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
16V319000
Manufacturer
Autocar Industries, LLC
Reported
18 May 2016
Vehicles
43
Built between
Mar 2016 – Apr 2016
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
30 June 2016
Repaired
60%
Unrepaired
13

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 2016 and April 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2017 Autocar XpertBuilt March 2016 to April 2016
  • 2016-2017 Autocar XspotterBuilt March 2016 to April 2016

Repair progress

13 of 43 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2017.

60% repaired — 26 of 43 reported

Scrapped or exported
4

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

Autocar Industries, LLC (Autocar) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Auto Xspotter and 2017 Autocar Xpert vehicles manufactured March 04, 2016, through April 21, 2016. The tab lock washers on the rear axle wheel ends may not have been properly bent over the outer spindle nut during assembly.

What could happen

If the spindle nuts loosen, the wheel assembly may separate from the rear axle, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Autocar will notify owners and dealers will inspect the tab lock washers and remedy tabs where needed, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2016.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2016 to April 2016
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA18 May 2016
  3. Owners notified30 June 2016
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2017 — 60% 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 18 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 Autocar's customer service at 1-765-489-5499. Autocar's number for this recall is MDTT-1601.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
MDTT-1601
Recalling manufacturer
Autocar Industries, LLC
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.

Same component

Same brand