SC-20-154 – Steering Gear Inspection – 2018-2020 Proterra Catalyst Buses

October 28, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V664000

Bolts Holding Steering Gear Box May Loosen

An unsecured steering gear box could cause the driver to lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of crash or injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V664

Manufacturer Proterra Inc.

Components STEERING

Potential Number of Units Affected 169

 

Summary

Proterra Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2018-2020 35 foot and 40 foot Catalyst buses. Lack of plexus adhesive between the torque plate and the vehicle chassis may cause the bolts securing the steering gear box to loosen.

 

Remedy

Proterra will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering gear mounting bolts and the plexus adhesive layer between the torque plate and the chassis. If the plexus adhesive layer is missing or insufficient, the components will be repaired, free of charge. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Proterra customer service at 1-864-438-0000. Proterra’s number for this recall is SC-20-154.

 

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.

 

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To our valued customer,

We have recently become aware of a mechanical issue involving the fastening of the steering gearbox on certain Proterra transit vehicles.

Out of an abundance of caution and in light of the critical safety function performed by the steering gearbox, we are advising you to immediately perform the following vehicle check prior to putting the following Proterra transit vehicle(s) into revenue service:

• For those transit vehicles with less than 10,000 service miles driven, please remove from revenue service and perform the work instructions attached to this message. Upon completion of this check, we are further asking our customers to complete a survey so that we can gather the relevant information to track this issue. Please find the survey here.
• If you encounter any mechanical issues during this check that require correction, we are advising customers to refrain from returning the vehicle to revenue service and to contact Daniel Patterson or your Regional Service Manager.
• If you successfully perform this check without any mechanical issues that require correction, please feel free to return your vehicle to revenue service.

For those transit vehicles with 10,000 or more service miles driven, please continue with your recommended preventative maintenance guidelines to check all suspension on the vehicle every 6,000 miles.

We look forward to working with you as we deliver clean, quiet transportation to your communities and thank you for your continued partnership. Please do not hesitate to contact Daniel Patterson or your Regional Service Manager should you have any questions.

 

Thank you,

 

Proterra Inc

 

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Proterra Catalyst Steering Gear Inspection Form

 

FLEET LOCATION / FLEET #: ___________________

 

Using the following illustrations, inspect the Steering Gear mounting bolts.  Check each location shown for any signs of loose fasteners or broken torque stripes and mark the area on the image.  Immediately report any suspected issues to the Transit Agency and Proterra.

 

With vehicle lifted and properly secured on jack stands or other lifting/supporting device, perform the following:

 

Step 1:  Working one bolt at a time, visually confirm the presence of a torque stripe and that it is not “broken”.  Perform this inspection on each of the four bolts and indicate on this form, any bolt which has a broken torque stripe.

 

Step 2:  Using a 1-5/16” Socket and Ratchet, hand check each bolt to ensure there is no loose condition. If a loose condition is detected, indicate on this form which bolt had the loose condition.

 

Step 3: If a loose condition is detected, or if a bolt has a missing or broken torque stripe, perform the following:

A) Verify and follow the cross-torque pattern (shown) to step-torque each bolt.

 

B) Working one bolt at a time, initially step-torque each mounting bolt to 150 ft-lb (203Nm).

C) Working one bolt at a time, step-torque each mounting bolt to 300 ft-lb (407Nm).

D) Working one bolt at a time, final torque to each mounting bolt to 450 ft-lb (610Nm) and then torque stripe the bolt tightened.

 

IMPORTANT!  TORQUE STRIPE EACH BOLT AS IT IS COMPLETED.  DO NOT WAIT AND TORQUE STRIPE THEM AT THE SAME TIME.

 

Step 4:  Use this form to mark the location of ANY problem with the steering gear bolts and immediately notify Proterra Service Leader, Daniel Patterson, if a loose condition was documented.

 

Step 5:  Complete the Steering Gearbox Mounting Bolt Torque Fleet Check survey and/or return this form to Proterra Customer Service as soon as possible.

 

Transit Agency Representative: ______________________________

Date: _____________

 

Proterra Representative: ______________________________

Date: _____________

 

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December 10, 2020

Michelle Rice
NHTSA
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590

 

Dear Ms. Rice,

Proterra with this letter is stating that all five (5) units affected in recall 20V-664 (Bolts Holding Steering Gear Box) were remedied on December 2020. Therefore, no owner notification letters will be distributed for the reason mentioned above.

 

Sincerely,

 

Arthur De La Rosa
Proterra Inc, Director Regulatory Compliance

 

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3 Affected Products

Vehicle

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
PROTERRA	CATALYST	2018-2020

 

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9 Associated Documents

Recall 573 Report- Amendment 4

RCLRPT-20V664-9441.PDF 236.476KB

 

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Recall 573 Report- Amendment 3

RCLRPT-20V664-7273.PDF 236.475KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-4

RCLQRT-20V664-9924.PDF 211.134KB

 

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Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-20V664-2742.pdf 56.853KB

 

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V664-2173.PDF 236.474KB

 

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Miscellaneous Document- Communication and Survey

RMISC-20V664-9055.pdf 509.106KB

 

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Recall 573 Report- Amendment 1

RCLRPT-20V664-8581.PDF 236.474KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20V664-9569.pdf 244.855KB

 

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Miscellaneous Document- Steering Gear Inspection Form

RMISC-20V664-7728.pdf 194.111KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=20V664&docType=RCL

 

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