Draw Tite Trailer Hitches

Draw Tite is recalling about 1,652 vehicles over a problem with the trailer hitches. If this occurs, a trailer under tow can separate from the tow vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Campaign
97E014000
Manufacturer
DRAW-TITE, INC.
Reported
22 May 1997
Vehicles
1,652
Built between
Mar 1997 – Apr 1997
Models
5
Recall type
Equipment
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
30 May 1997
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 1997 and April 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • Draw Tite 6601Built March 1997 to April 1997
  • Draw Tite 6602Built March 1997 to April 1997
  • Draw Tite 6603Built March 1997 to April 1997
  • Draw Tite 6623Built March 1997 to April 1997
  • Draw Tite 6679Built March 1997 to April 1997

What the defect is

Equipment description: cast head trunnion weight-distributing hitches. The cast head can fracture, causing the ball platform to break away.

What could happen

If this occurs, a trailer under tow can separate from the tow vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE HEAD ASSEMBLIES.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 1997 to April 1997
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA22 May 1997
  3. Owners notified30 May 1997

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 May 1997.

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
DRAW-TITE, INC.
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

Owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin during june 16, 1997.NOTES:OWNERS who do not receive free replacement cast head assemblies within a reasonable time should contact draw-tite at 1-888-521-0510. 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