Autocar Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

Autocar is recalling about 1,223 vehicles over a problem with the steering.

Campaign
79V180000
Manufacturer
WHITE MOTOR CORPORATION
Reported
1 August 1979
Vehicles
1,223
Built between
Jun 1978 – Dec 1978
Models
6
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
23 April 1980
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1978 and December 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1978 Autocar KBuilt June 1978 to December 1978
  • 1978 Autocar RB2Built June 1978 to December 1978
  • 1978 Autocar RBWBuilt June 1978 to December 1978
  • 1978 White Truck KBuilt June 1978 to December 1978
  • 1978 White Truck RB2Built June 1978 to December 1978
  • 1978 White Truck RBWBuilt June 1978 to December 1978

What the defect is

Some of the involved vehicles were not inspected for adequate clearance between the steering shaft and its firewall opening. Inadequate clearance could result in the steering column becoming scored or severed by the firewall sheet metal.

What gets fixed

DEALER WILL INSPECT VEHICLES AND, IF NECESSARY, ENLARGE THE FIREWALL OPENING TO PROVIDE THE MINIMUM 3/8 INCH CLEARANCE FOR THE STEERING SHAFT. ANY SCORED OR CUT SHAFTS WILL BE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1978 to December 1978
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA1 August 1979
  3. Owners notified23 April 1980

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 1 August 1979.

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.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
WHITE MOTOR CORPORATION
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

Vehicle description: trucks.system: steering; steering shaft.consequences of defect: should this occur, loss of steering control and avehicle accident could result.

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