- Vehicles
- 48,299
- Built between
- Sep 1984 – Mar 1986
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 7 May 1986
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1984 and March 1986. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Dana DanaBuilt September 1984 to March 1986
What the defect is
Due to a change in the original equipment manufacturers center section of the idler arm, the castellated nut which holds the idler arm could not be tightened enough to insert a cotter pin. Consequence of defect: omission of the cotter pin could allow the castellated nut to back off. Without the nut the idler arm/center link connection would be lost, resulting in a loss of steering.
What gets fixed
MANUFACTURER WILL REPLACE ALL IDLERS WITH DEFECT AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1984 to March 1986
- Recall reported to NHTSA22 August 1986
- Owners notified7 May 1986
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 22 August 1986.
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
- DANA CORPORATION
- 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
System: idler arm/aftermarket.vehicle category: trucks.
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.