Welded-on Trailer Tongue May Detach – 2022 Pelsue Tradesman Fiberlite POD & Tradesman Fiberlite XL Trailers

October 12, 2023 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V684000

Welded-on Trailer Tongue May Detach

A detached trailer frame can separate from the towing vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V684

Manufacturer T.A. Pelsue

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected 164

 

Summary

T.A. Pelsue is recalling certain 2022 Tradesman Fiberlite POD and Tradesman Fiberlite XL trailers. The welded-on trailer tongue may detach from the trailer frame.

 

Remedy

T.A. Pelsue will install a bolt-on steel corner cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2023. Owners may contact T.A. Pelsue customer service at 1-303-936-7432.

 

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.nhtsa.gov.

 


Please be reminded of the following requirements:

We note that T.A. Pelsue has notified owners prior to filing a Part 573 report. The supplied letter does not meet the requirements of Part 577. Please upload a draft letter that is consistent with Part 577 for NHTSA review prior to mailing.

You are required to submit a draft owner notification letter to this office no less than five days prior to mailing it to the customers. Also, copies of all notices, bulletins, dealer notifications, and other communications that relate to this recall, including a copy of the final owner notification letter and any subsequent owner follow-up notification letter(s), are required to be submitted to this office no later than 5 days after they are originally sent (if they are sent to more than one manufacturer, distributor, dealer, or purchaser/owner).

Please be reminded that under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(a)(3), it is illegal for a manufacturer, to sell, offer for sale, import, or introduce or deliver into interstate commerce, a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment that contains a safety defect once the manufacturer has notified NHTSA about that safety defect. This prohibition does not apply once the motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment has been remedied according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

 


Front Corner Weld Reinforcement on Fiberlite POD and POD XL Replaceable Tongue Frame

Pelsue Company is committed to the continuous improvement of our products, for both products currently in production and those products already in use by our customers. As part of this commitment, Pelsue has identified a potential issue with the frame of replaceable POD and XL trailers, particularly when towed at an unlevel angle behind a 1-1/4-ton truck or larger.

To increase the robustness of these frames, we have developed a pair of external brackets to be applied on each front corner of the trailer frame to better support the welded front cross member. These trusses will be bolted in place and do not affect the replaceable tongue. The Corner Cap kit (127834-AP1) and installation instructions (127834) will be sent at no cost to you. Our service department will help arrange a nearby repair shop that can install these trusses. The estimated time for installation is approximately 30 minutes.

This Bulletin is intended to assist customers in inspecting their trailer to identify the issue (page 2) and to assess risk of failure (page 3). No tools are required to inspect a trailer for this issue. This document applies to the replaceable tongue version of both Fiberlite POD and Fiberlite XL trailers, although either product may be shown in accompanying pictures.

NOTE: This bulletin does not affect trailers made without the replaceable tongue (early POD and XL, SPOT, MCT, STEER, Grizzly). All POD and XL trailers shipped after January 31, 2023 have this issue resolved and do not need the external trusses applied.

Inspection location – Top View

Inspect the welds between the frame rails and front cross-member. Picture below shows a representative trailer with the impacted areas circled in red.

Inspection Location – Bottom View

BEFORE INSPECTING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRAILER FRAME: Ensure that the trailer is fixed in place by deploying every jack, including the tongue jack. Prevent accidental rolling by fixing the wheels with wheel chocks. Ensure that everything on and around the trailer is secured before getting under the trailer.

In order to fully inspect the affected areas, the inspector must view the frame from underneath. The representative image below is a view of the front curbside corner of the frame weldment from underneath the trailer. The red arrows point to the specific weld joints to closely inspect for any cracks in or around the welds. Be sure to check the weld joints on both the street side and curb side of the trailer.

Inspection Findings

In the event that a crack is discovered during the inspection in these areas, do not attempt to use the trailer for routine use.

Representative pictures of cracked welds for a trailer that should be immediately removed from service are below:

With the trailer jacks deployed and the trailer fully secured, remove any heavy equipment (within reason) and contact Pelsue immediately to report the case. Pictures of the trailer and any cracks or failures can be sent to [email protected] along with identifying information on the customer and trailer model.

If no cracks are identified, please call Pelsue Service at 1-303-936-7432 so we can schedule the installation of the Corner Cap Kit specified on page 1 and arrange to ship the components and instructions to the proper installer.

 


Installation Instructions

#127834‐AP1: Reinforcement Parts Kit, Fiberlite Pod Replaceable Tongue Frame, Front Corner Welds

Introduction

These instructions are to help guide the installation of the Reinforcement Parts Kit for Pods and XL units.

 

 


Chronology :

January 13, 2023 customer Sefnco notified Pelsue of the first incident.

January 23, 2023 a new design for these two models of trailer frames were released.

January 30, 2023 the Service Bulletin describing the defect and the “fix” for trailers in the field was created.

March 21, 2023 the first batch of Corner Caps for the field fix on affected trailers were sent to customer Lumen.

August 23, 2023 the second incident was reported.

August 23, 2023 J & B Trailers in Lubbock, TX reported this defect to NHTSA.

September 11, 2023 Dave Thornton (NHTSA) contacted Pelsue regarding the defect and spoke with Pelsue CEO Chris Munson.

September 21, 2023 through filtering Work Orders in our ERP system Pelsue determined there were 117 Pelsue Tradesman Fiberlite POD trailers & 47 Pelsue Tradesman Fiberlite XL trailers potentially affected (total 117 + 47 = 164 trailers).

September 25, 2023 Pelsue learned of the Safety Recalls Portal, NHTSA reporting requirements and the 573 Report.

September 29, 2023 Pelsue created Vehicle Reports for both trailer models.

October 12, 2023 Pelsue submitted a Safety Recall on the Safety Recalls Portal.

 


2 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKEMODELYEAR
PELSUEFIBERLITE POD TRADESMAN2022
PELSUEFIBERLITE XL TRADESMAN2022

 


5 Associated Documents

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-23V684-5076.pdf 646.745KB

 


Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-23V684-8862.pdf 859.435KB

 


ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-23V684-7769.pdf 517.953KB

 


Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-23V684-5768.PDF 214.305KB

 


Issued Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-23V684-4687.pdf 133.606KB

 


Latest Recalls Documents

 


 

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