Western Star Steering: Gear Box (other Than Rack and Pinion)

Western Star is recalling about 14 vehicles over a problem with the steering. If the steering shaft fails, steering control will be lost increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Campaign
97V075000
Manufacturer
WESTERN STAR TRUCKS, INC.
Reported
25 April 1997
Vehicles
14
Built between
Nov 1995 – Mar 1997
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
9 June 1997
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between November 1995 and March 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1995-1997 Western Star ConstellationBuilt November 1995 to March 1997

What the defect is

Vehicle description: conventional trucks and truck/tractors equipped with a firewall adapter plate for the steering shaft boot. Insufficient clearance between the top of the steering shaft and the top of the opening in the adapter plate can cause the steering shaft to contact the top of the firewall adapter opening wearing a groove in the steering shaft. If the groove is allowed to wear deep enough, the shaft can fail.

What could happen

If the steering shaft fails, steering control will be lost increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FIREWALL ADAPTER PLATE ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 1995 to March 1997
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA25 April 1997
  3. Owners notified9 June 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 25 April 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
WESTERN STAR TRUCKS, 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 may 20, 1997.NOTE:OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact western star at 1-250-660-3319.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