Superior Equipment: Wrecker and Wheel Lift Devices

Superior is recalling about 22,000 vehicles over a problem with the equipment. A break in one of the two parallel "u" bolts will cause excess vibration and could also cause the axle to shift.

Campaign
96E012000
Manufacturer
SUPERIOR INDUSTRIES INTL
Reported
17 May 1996
Vehicles
22,000
Built between
Sep 1995 – May 1996
Models
6
Recall type
Equipment
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
22 May 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between September 1995 and May 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • Superior 13-1141Built September 1995 to May 1996
  • Superior 13-1211Built September 1995 to May 1996
  • Superior 13-1311Built September 1995 to May 1996
  • Universal 13-1141Built September 1995 to May 1996
  • Universal 13-1211Built September 1995 to May 1996
  • Universal 13-1311Built September 1995 to May 1996

What the defect is

Certain square-shaped "u" bolts used with these lift/lowering kits and lift/lowering blocks can break during installation when torqued to the manufacturer's specifications.

What could happen

A break in one of the two parallel "u" bolts will cause excess vibration and could also cause the axle to shift. If both "u" bolts break on one side, the axle will shift causing the tire/wheel assembly to shift out of position increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.

What gets fixed

SUPERIOR WILL REPLACE ALL DEFECTIVE LIFT/LOWERING KITS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtSeptember 1995 to May 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA17 May 1996
  3. Owners notified22 May 1996

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 17 May 1996.

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
SUPERIOR INDUSTRIES INTL
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; lift. Equipment description: lift/lowering kits used on dodge pickup trucks and toyota 4WD pickup trucks. Note: owner notification is expected to begin may 22, 1996. Note: owners who do not receive the kit free of charge within a reasonable time, should contact superior at 1-818-781-4973. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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