- Vehicles
- 2,397
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 30 March 1998
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- American Racing 500
- American Racing 501
What the defect is
Equipment description: 500/501 series, 16" aluminum alloy wheel (500 series designed for front-wheel drive vehicles and 501 series for rear-wheel drive). The center of the wheel can fracture and separate from the rim.
What could happen
If the wheel separated, a loss of vehicle control can occur, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE WHEELS, INCLUDING ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH VEHICLE TOWING AND INSTALLATION, LABOR, MOUNTING AND BALANCING OF THE REPLACEMENT WHEELS; A FULL REFUND FOR THE WHEELS INCLUDING ANY ASSOCIATED COSTS; OR REPLACEMENT OF THESE WHEELS WITH APPLICABLE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER'S (OEM) WHEELS, INCLUDING ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE TOWING, PURCHASE, INSTALLATION, LABOR, MOUNTING AND BALANCING OF THE OEM WHEELS.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA12 May 1998
- Owners notified30 March 1998
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 12 May 1998.
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
- AMERICAN RACING WHEELS
- 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 began march 30, 1998.OWNERS who do not receive a free replacement wheel within a reasonable time should contact american racing at 1-310-761-4040.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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.