Missing Weld May Cause Cargo Winch to Fail – 2016-2023 Lode King & Prestige SDE & SDF Model Steel Step Deck Semi-Trailers

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Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd.
11 April, 2023 Office of Defects Investigation
U.S. Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 Submitted Via: NHTSA Web Site Portal Re: Report on Defect and Recall Campaign # 23V009 Dear NHTSA;
Pursuant to 49 CFR 573.6 please accept this letter as our report regarding our recall campaign to correct a defect found in the load securement winches on 38 of Class 8 semi-trailers manufactured by Prestige Trailers and Lode King and, sold or imported into the United States. In parallel we are also recalling 282 of these trailers sold in Canada under Transport Canada Recall Campaign # 2023-004. Details are as follows: a. For this recall campaign there have been no claims from the owners or end users because of this defect. There are also no death or injury claims coming from this
defect.
b. We came upon this defect as a result of our ongoing quality audit procedure. We learned of the problem during the week of 9 – 13 January, the week prior to our notification letter of 13 January, 2023. c. The affected cargo winch installation is identified by our part number 70AD0455. The problem is the welding used to secure this device onto the side rail of the trailer
– there is a weld missing along the end of the winch body. Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd.
d. Our plan for corrective action is simply to have the customers take their trailer to their dealer to have the missing weld added. We will cover the costs of performing this corrective action. The owners of these trailers will not be charged for this work. We have also advised these owners that if they wish to perform the welding work themselves, we will reimburse the costs of their effort. We have provided contact information for the owners to get in touch directly with our Service & Warranty Manager to make arrangement for this reimbursement. Our point of contact here at Prestige Trailers will be the undersigned, Director of Engineering. We trust you find this report satisfactory. If you require any further information please advise and we will respond.
Yours truly, Prestige Trailers
D. Roy MacLean, P.Eng.
Director of Engineering

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1
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd.
1 February, 2023 Customer Address here
Subject: Campaign # 23V009 Dear Prestige Trailers Customer,
This notice applies to your semi-trailer with
VIN: 2T9SDxxxxxx206xxx Make: Prestige Model: SDx-x Model Year: 20yy This notice is sent to you in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Details are as follows:
a. The name of the company giving notice is:
Triple E Canada Ltd.
D.B.A. Prestige Trailers
Box 1146
135 Canada Street Winkler, MB R6W 4B2
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-797-0669 or 1-204-325-4345
b. Triple E Canada, Doing Business As Prestige Trailers has decided that a defect
which relates to motor vehicle safety may exist in your semi-trailer.
c. This defect relates to the welding employed to attach the cargo winches onto the side rail of the beavertail section of the trailer. A weld is missing that needs to be
added.
d. On certain SDE and SDF model step-deck semi-trailers, the cargo securement
winches located on the rear of the trailer may not be properly welded. This recall affects only trailers equipped with a beavertail style ramp. The affected winches are only those located on the rear sides of the trailer, on the beavertail ramp section of the deck.
e. The vehicle system that is affected is the cargo winches on the beavertail section. These trailers have a decal indicating the cargo securement devices are designed for a Working Load Limit (WLL) of 5,000 lbs. This strength requirement is to be proven and validated using a pull test at three (3) times the WLL, or 15,000 lbs. When subjected to this test, the affected winches fail at approximately 13,000 lbs of force. To achieve the required strength, the winches need to be welded to the side rail on three sides: top, bottom, and on the pawl end of the winch body. These defective winch installations are missing the pawl end weld. See the accompanying picture. This was an error of omission during the manufacturing process.
f. In the event of a crash, the cargo winch mount could fail and allow cargo to come loose or fall from the trailer, creating a risk of injury and a road hazard for others.
g. In normal service a simple visual inspection of these welds will show any signs of premature cracking. It is during a crash, when exerted loads may be many times higher than in normal service, that this problem could be encountered.
h. The corrective action for this deficiency is to simply add the missing weld on the pawl end of the winch. A touch up of the paint after welding will restore the appearance of the area; no additional parts are required. This can be done at no cost to you at your Prestige Trailers dealer where you purchased the trailer, or, if you wish to do it yourself, please contact our Service and Warranty Manager noted below to make arrangements for cost reimbursement.
i. We estimate it should take two (2) hours of labour time to add the missing welds and touch up the paint.
j. If your dealer fails or is unable to remedy this defect without charge, or within a reasonable amount of time, you may submit a written complaint to: the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, D.C. 20590; or all the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1- 2
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd. 888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov, if you believe we have failed to remedy this defect without charge.
k. You may be eligible to receive a reimbursement for the cost of repairs made prior to receiving this notice. In this case, please contact our Service & Warranty Manager noted below, to make arrangements for this reimbursement.
l. If you are a lessor of this trailer who receives this notification of a determination of a safety-related defect pertaining to any leased vehicle, you are required by federal law CFR577.7 (a)(2)(iv) to send a copy of this notice to the lessee within 10 days of receipt. Our point of contact here at Prestige Trailers for this Recall will be Mr. Randall Siemens, Customer Service & Warranty Manager. You may contact him by email at: [email protected] We look forward to working with you to swiftly address this issue and get this corrective action in place. Yours truly, Prestige Trailers 3
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd. 4
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd.

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1
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd.
27 January, 2023 Dear Lode King Dealer
Subject: Safety Recall Campaign # 23V009 This notice is sent to you in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This is to inform you that we are recalling a series of steel step deck trailers with the beavertail as these units may contain a defect that could affect the safety of a person.
Details are as follows: a. The name of the company giving notice is:
Triple E Canada Ltd.
D.B.A. Prestige Trailers
Box 1146
135 Canada Street Winkler, MB R6W 4B2
Phone: Toll free 1-866-797-0669 or 1-204-325-4345 b. This non-compliance relates to the welding employed to attach the cargo winches onto the side rail of the beavertail section of the trailer. A weld is missing that needs to be added. See the accompanying picture below.
c. On certain SDE and SDF model step-deck semi-trailers, the cargo securement winches located on the rear of the trailer may not be properly welded. This recall affects only trailers equipped with a beavertail style ramp. The affected winches are only those located on the rear sides of the trailer, on the beavertail ramp section of the deck.
d. The vehicle system that is affected is the cargo winches on the beavertail section. These trailers have a decal indicating the cargo securement devices are rated with a Working Load Limit (WLL) of 5,000 lbs. This strength requirement is to be proven and validated using a pull test at 3 times the WLL, or 15,000 lbs. When subjected to this test, the affected winches fail at approximately 13,000 lbs of force. To achieve the required strength, the winches need to be welded to the side rail on three sides: top, bottom, and on the pawl end of the winch body. These defective winch installations are missing the pawl end weld. See the accompanying picture. This was an error of omission during the manufacturing process.
e. In the event of a crash, the cargo winch mount could fail and allow cargo to come loose or fall from the trailer, creating a risk of injury and a road hazard for others.
f. In normal service a simple visual inspection of these welds will show any signs of premature cracking. However, it is not expected that normal service will cause any problems. It is during a crash, when exerted loads may be many times higher than in normal service, that this problem could be encountered.
g. The corrective action for this deficiency is to simply add the missing weld on the pawl end of the winch. A touch up of the paint after welding will restore the appearance of the area; no additional parts are required. We will be directing customers to bring their trailers back to your dealership for this rework, or if they wish to do it themselves, please contact our Service and Warranty Manager noted below to make arrangements for cost reimbursement.
h. We estimate it should take two (2) hours of labour time to add the missing welds and touch up the paint.
i. We will separately provide a list of the affected trailers that were sold through your dealership.
j. If you are a semi-trailer lessor, Federal Law requires that any lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten (10) working days. If you know the current owner or operator, please forward this letter to them. Our point of contact here at Lode King for this Recall will be Mr. Randall Siemens, Customer Service & Warranty Manager. You may also reach him by email at [email protected] We look forward to working with you to swiftly address this issue and get this corrective action in place. 2
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd. 3
Prestige Trailers is a division of Triple E Canada Ltd.
Yours truly,
Prestige Trailers

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OMB Control No.: 2127-0004
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V-009
The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573
Manufacturer Name : Submission Date :
Lode-King Industries, Ltd. JAN 13, 2023 NHTSA Recall No. : 23V-009 Manufacturer Recall No. : N/A Manufacturer Information :
Manufacturer Name : Lode-King Industries, Ltd.
Address : Box 1146
135 Canada St Winkler, Manitoba- Canada 00 R6W4B4
Company phone : 999
Population :
Number of potentially involved : 38 Estimated percentage with defect : 100 %
Vehicle Information :
Vehicle 1 : 2016-2023 Lode King & Prestige SDE Step Deck Trailer Vehicle Type : TRAILERS
Body Style :
Power Train : NR
Descriptive Information : On certain SDE model step-deck semi-trailers, the cargo securement winch located on the rear of the trailer may not be properly welded. As a result, the cargo winch mount could fail and allow cargo to come loose. Note: This recall only affects trailers equipped with a beavertail style ramp at the rear. There are 38 semi-trailers included in this recall campaign. This population of trailers was determined by reviewing all trailers built in this configuration since the beginning of production.
Production Dates : AUG 07, 2015 – SEP 23, 2022 VIN Range 1 : Begin : 2LDSD5333GE061785 End : 2T9SD532XPE206290 ✔ Not sequential Vehicle 2 : 2016-2023 Lode King & Prestige SDE Steel step deck semi-trailers Vehicle Type : TRAILERS
Body Style :
Power Train : NR
Descriptive Information : This recall population represents all trailers built in this specific configuration.
The recall trailers all have steel channel side rails with the cargo winches welded onto the side rail in the area of the rear beavertail ramp system. There are 38 semi-trailers affected by this recall.
Production Dates : AUG 07, 2013 – SEP 23, 2022 VIN Range 1 : Begin : 2LDSD5333GE061785 End : 2T9SD532XPE206290 ✔ Not sequential Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V-009 Page 2 Description of Defect :
Description of the Defect : These trailers all have labelling that defines the Working Load Limit (WLL) for their cargo securement devices at 5,000 lb. The validation of this WLL is done by testing to exhibit a breaking strength of three times (3X) the WLL or 15,000 lb. In the case of these particular cargo winches, they need to be welded on three sides: top, bottom and pawl end of the winch frame to achieve this load carrying capacity. There will be either two or three of these winches on each trailer. The weld on the end of the winch frame is missing.
FMVSS 1 : NR FMVSS 2 : NR
Description of the Safety Risk : In the event of a crash, cargo that comes loose or fall from the trailer could
create a risk of injury and create a road hazard for others.
Description of the Cause : During a recent quality system audit it was noted that a detailed installation drawing, complete with weld symbols, was not provided to production personnel for this winch installation. Subsequently, these winches were only welded along the top and bottom sides – the end weld was omitted. Identification of Any Warning
that can Occur : None known. Involved Components : Component Name 1 : NR Component Description : NR Component Part Number : NR Supplier Identification : Component Manufacturer
Name : NR Address : NR
NR
Country : NR Chronology :
During a recent quality system audit it was noted that a detailed installation drawing, complete with weld symbols, was not provided to production personnel for this winch installation. Subsequently, these winches The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573 Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V-009
Page 3
The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573
were only welded along the top and bottom sides – the end weld was omitted. With this end weld being missed the cargo winch fails at approximately 13,000 lb of load, just shy of the required 15,000 lb.
Description of Remedy :
Description of Remedy Program : The remedy for this defect is to simply add the missing weld on the end of
the winch frame. Paint touch up will restore the appearance after the welding is completed. How Remedy Component Differs from Recalled Component : Identify How/When Recall Condition was Corrected in Production : A full fillet weld along the top, bottom and pawl side of the winch frame, where it is welded to the side rail of the trailer. Prior to remedy being applied, the vertical weld along the end of the winch frame will be missing.
For ongoing production a fully detailed drawing, including weld symbols was provided for production personnel, followed by clear oral instructions. Recall Schedule :
Description of Recall Schedule : Once a Recall number is assigned, we will send out Notification letters to
the customers/owners of these trailers. In parallel we will advise our dealers of this recall and the action they need to take in response.
Planned Dealer Notification Date : JAN 23, 2023 – FEB 03, 2023
Planned Owner Notification Date : JAN 23, 2023 – FEB 24, 2023
* NR – Not Reported

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