- Vehicles
- 2,312
- Built between
- Feb 1990 – Sep 1992
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 15 October 1992
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1990 and September 1992. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Automatic Equipment TOW BARBuilt February 1990 to September 1992
- Hewitt TOW BARBuilt February 1990 to September 1992
What the defect is
Tow bar can develop cracks in the center plate mounting where the two legs are attached. The cracking is caused by metal fatigue in a potentially weak part of the tow bar.
What could happen
If a crack occurs and continues to develop, the platewill break into two pieces. The tow bar will still be attached at this time. Butit could fold if the brakes are applied by the towing vehicle. Continued usecould eventually cause total separation of the vehicle being towed.
What gets fixed
A NEW REDESIGNED WELDMENT WHICH INCLUDES THE CENTER PLATE AND TWO LEGS WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE CUSTOMER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1990 to September 1992
- Recall reported to NHTSA14 September 1992
- Owners notified15 October 1992
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 14 September 1992.
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
- AUTOMATIC EQUIP. MFG. CO.
- 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
System: equipment: tow bar.equipment description: tow bars with model names rangefinder 4222SL andrangefinder BX42222.
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.