The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has determined that vehicles subject to Volvo Trucks’ Safety Recall (NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report No. 16V-097000) that have not already received the interim or permanent recall remedy repair specified by Volvo in the recall and are still operating on the nation’s roadways are in an unsafe condition and should not be operated; such vehicles are to be immediately ordered out-of-service by federal and state roadside safety inspectors.
On March 10, 2016, Volvo Trucks North America announced the recall of certain model year 2016-2017 VNL, VNX, and VNM trucks manufactured from May 11, 2015 through March 8, 2016. The trucks may have been manufactured without a roll pin on the steering shaft.
If the roll pin is missing, the lower steering shaft may disconnect from the junction block. Also, the bolt connecting the upper steering shaft to the lower steering shaft may not have been properly tightened. Either condition can lead to separation of the steering shaft without warning, resulting in a complete loss of steering, which may lead to a crash.
The recall affects nearly 20,000 Class 8 motor vehicles, with nearly 16,000 affected vehicles in the U.S.
On March 18, FMCSA issued an Urgent Safety Bulletin advising operators and carriers of recalled vehicles to immediately contact Volvo Customer Support at 1-877-800-4945 (Option 1) before continuing driving operations.
Today’s announced declaration is not intended to provide a basis for further enforcement action, but seeks only the immediate cessation of the unrepaired, unsafe trucks. Operators of vehicles declared out-of-service must comply; violating a federal out-of-service order may result in civil penalties as well as criminal prosecution. A full copy of the Federal Register notification is available here.
