NHTSA Campaign Number: 18E018
Manufacturer Brembo
S.p.A.
Components SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Potential Number of Units Affected 80,081
Front Master Cylinder Piston May Crack/FMVSS 122
If the front brake master cylinder piston fails, the loss of front braking ability can increase the risk of a crash.
Summary
Brembo S.p.A. (Brembo) is recalling certain motorcycle front brake master cylinders, part numbers 10.4623.62 and 10.4623.63. The piston within the front brake master cylinder may crack and fail.
Remedy
Brembo has notified the motorcycle manufacturers that built motorcycles with the affected master cylinders, and they are conducting recalls to have their dealers replace the pistons with aluminum ones, free of charge. The recall began on December 13, 2017.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
13 December 2017
Re.: Brake master cylinder PPS
Dear Sir or Madam,
Brembo P.A. has become awarc of certain limited events regarding the front master cylinder and therefore recommends initiating a safety recall campaign We provide below the relevant incormation.
We request that you communicate the information sct forth below as required by law. In your communications, please use the language set forth below. Any changes should be previously shared with Brembo S.P.A.. Brembo S.p.A. will not be responsible for any revisions not previously approved by us.
| Describe the defect or noncompliance: | Crack generation on the front brake master cylinder PPS (polyphenilene sulphide) piston connecting the intemal pressure area to the external surface. The consequence is that the front brake may not participate in stopping the bike properly. The rear brake is not affected and works correctly. |
| Describe the safcty risk: | If a crack through the piston occurs, the fracture connects the pressure chamber with the open air: in this condition the brake master cylinder is not able to generate enough pressure in the system and Inay reduce the braking system’s effectiveness. As a result, braking can only bc perfonned with the rear brake which may increase stopping distance significantly, which may increase the risk of injury to the rider and/or damage to property. |
| Estimated percentage of product involved with detect: | 150 PPM (0,015%) for all OEMs involved |
| Describe the cause: | The anisotropy of the piston Inaterial, in addition to an unfavorable geometric distribution of porosity generated during the injection process, could lead to the failure of the coinponent (crack generation) subject to stress typical of mission profiles such as: use of the vehicle on race tracks, frequent ABS interventions, or vehicle ground fall. |
| Identify any warning which can precede or occur; | The failure may occur without any warning to the driver even though cannot exclude a significant loss in brake effectiveness as an early symptom. |
Chronology of Defect / Noncompliance Determination
October 2016 –
Brembo now realizes that the above described condition may have first occurred during vehicle track use. No injuries reported. Brembo commenced the failure investigation
February 2017 –
Since it was not possible to identify the failure mode during the investigation jointly conducted with the motorcycle manufacturer the investigation was concluded Monitoring of the field has been agreed.
June 2017 –
A second field occurrence resulted in an investigation in which Brembo decided to introduce a preventative containment action on production replacing the PPS piston with an aluminium one (lead-time implementation of 2 months).
October 2017 –
Two additional field occurrences were reported (both on the motorbikes track). No injuries have been reported so far.
November 2017 –
Investigation closed: the root cause was identified as above (please refer to the “Describe the cause”).
Decenber 2017 –
Brembo decided to proceed with a word-wide safety recall campaign.
Identify the Remedy
Official dealers will replace the PPS piston with an aluminiuim one.
Identify and describe how and when the recall condition was corrected in production
The new piston is made from aluminium and machined from bar, guarantees a higher strength material as well as the absence of any possibility of porosity. This solution, already validated and in production for the past fifteen years, has proven to be fully reliable. In production line Brembo is now supplying the complete aluminum front brake master cylinder’s piston since September 2017.
Contact of reference
Yours sincerely.
Manufacturer Notice
13 December 2017
Owner Notification Letter
13 December 2017
Recall Acknowledgement
April 12, 2018
- Mixes well with conventional fluids
- Low-moisture formula provides excellent vapor lock protection
- Ideal for hydraulic and disc brakes
- Provides an extra margin of safety in extreme braking conditions (packaging may vary)
- Mix of polyglycol ethers ensures hot brake-system operation will not create dangerous vapor
- Excellent for ABS, disc and drum brake systems
- Delivers braking power when needed by avoiding a spongy pedal
- Both wet and dry boiling points exceed the minimum government standards
- Ideal for hydraulic and disc brakes
- Mixes well with conventional fluids
- Low-moisture formula provides excellent vapor lock protection
- Increases dry boiling point to ensure maximum life and reliable braking power
- Provides protection against brake failure from vapor lock
- Helps prevent corrosion in brake system
- Works with all brake systems requiring DOT 4 fluids
- Exceeds federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 116
- High quality blend of polyethylene glycol ethers and additives
- Compatible with all brake system rubber components and other brake fluids
- Prevents seal hardening or softening
- Protects against rust and corrosion
- Provides excellent lubricity
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