21E019 Dexter Axle Ingersoll Smart-Steer Self Steer Axles Steering Arm May Detach

March 15, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21E019000

Steering Arm May Detach

A detached steering arm may cause a loss of steering control. In addition, attachment hardware may fall and become a road hazard. Both of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21E019

Manufacturer Dexter Axle Company

Components STEERING

Potential Number of Units Affected 1,238

 

Summary

Dexter Axle Company (Dexter Axle) is recalling certain Ingersoll Smart-Steer self steer axles. The steering arm may detach from the steering knuckle during certain low-speed, high-side loading maneuvers.

 

Remedy

Dexter Axle will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering arm and apply welds, free of charge. Notification to owners were distributed on May 7, 2021. Owners may contact Dexter Axle customer service at 1-574-295-7888.

 

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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SERVICE BULLETIN #009R

 

Date: December 4, 2019

 

Subject: SMART-STEER 2.0 Bolt-On Steer Arm Reinforcement Welds

 

Based on feedback from our customers, Dexter Heavy Duty has become aware that under certain loading conditions, the 8-7/8″ steer arm setup on the SMART-STEER 2.0 axle is prone to shearing the attaching steer arm bolts. This will lead to a failure in the steer arm assembly.

 

SMART-STEER 2.0	STEER ARM ASSEMBLY

 

Dexter recommends that you perform a steer arm inspection of your axle(s) as soon as possible; but no later than four weeks after receiving this service bulletin. Please follow the steps listed below:

1. Visually inspect steer arm bolts and washers for mechanical tightness and replace if necessary.
2. Ensure the steer arm bolts are torqued to 400 Lbs.
3. Place welds as shown on page three of this bulletin. If you would like a copy of engineering drawing 750049, please contact one of the service technicians listed below.

A reference table of impacted models is on page two of this service bulletin .

 

Please contact your Dexter Heavy Duty Field Service Technicians Rudy Wosing or Phil Schnurr at (226) 242-5291 if you have additional questions or need further clarification.

We appreciate your understanding as we determine a long term solution to this issue.

 

Neil Haslam

Engineering Manager – Dexter Heavy Duty

 

 

8-7 /8″ TIE-ROD SMART-STEER 2.0 MODELS

SSA MODEL NUMBER
750002	750265-3
750027	750265-5
750882	750650-3
750899	750550.5
750912	750688-3
750923	750882T
750924	750899T
750928	750912T
750929	750924-1
751003	750924
751004	750924T
751323	750928-3
751769	750928T
752270	751003.10
752299	751104T
752333	751384T
752346	751525.2
752347	751644-1
752529	752323.3
771004	752708-2
750265-2

 

The model number can be found in the ordering variant description.

VARIANT#	VARIANT DESCRIPTION
TEST123-DXT1234596	ISS-SSA751004-09110N-511IMT-CAH

 

Upon inspection; if the steer arm bolts or steer arm are worn or damaged, below is the replacement steer arm kit for these models.

 

702732-01 BOLT-ON STEER ARM SERVICE KIT (-8-7/8″) LH OR RH

ITEM NUMBER	QUANTITY	PART NUMBER	Description
1	1	701657	STEERING ARM B/0 -8-7 /8″ TH
2	2	702834	BOLT, 3/4-16 UNF-2B X 3.75″ LG GR8
3	2	701810	I WASHER FLAT . 75″ GR8 MC2
Not Shown	1	0150425	I LOCTITE®, BLUE 242, 0.5ML

 

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

 

May 5, 2021

 

Customer Address Line1 Address Line2 Address Line3 Address Line4

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Re: Safety Recall – Smart-Steer 2.0 Self-Steer Axle

 

Dexter Trailer Products of Canada Corporation (“Dexter Canada” (Ingersoll Axles)) has determined that certain self – steer axles installed or distributed by your company may contain a defect which could affect the safety of people under certain conditions or applications. Accordingly, a recall (NHTSA ID 21E019) to address this issue was initiated effective March 15, 2021. This potential defect and the remedy were detailed in Service Bulletin SB009R dated December 4, 2019, which your company received on March 24, 2020. A copy of that Service Bulletin is attached.

 

The affected axles are models of the Smart-Steer 2.0 self-steering axle with a bolt-on steer arm at 8-7/8” tie-rod location, built from May 5, 2017 to December 4, 2019. Dexter Canada has determined that under certain heavy loading conditions the bolts attaching the steer arm to the knuckle can potentially shear. If this condition occurs, the steer arm will detach from the knuckle on the affected side and potentially drag along the ground. In some cases the sheared section of the steer arm bolt will dislodge from the steer arm and fall to the ground. At no time will the vehicle become uncontrollable, and the operator will be able to safely operate the vehicle until he or she can secure the axle under the vehicle.

 

The repair, which is outlined in the Service Bulletin SB009R (attached), must be performed at a Dexter Canada authorized facility and will be at no cost to the owner (Dexter Canada will pay the cost of the prescribed repair).

 

Please promptly notify all known owners of the affected trailers of this recall and provide a copy of the Service Bulletin.

 

Please note that it is a violation of Federal law for a you to sell or lease the trailers covered by this notification until the repair for this recall has been performed. Substantial civil penalties apply to violations of this law.

 

Your assistance with this matter is appreciated. Should you have any questions please contact Phil Schnurr directly at 226-242-5345 or email RecallSB009R@dexteraxle.com.

 

Sincerely,

DEXTER AXLE

 

Robert W. Gelven

VP of Product Engineering

 

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1 Affected Product

Equipment

BRAND	PART NO.	PRODUCTION DATES
INGERSOLL	SMART-STEER

 

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8 Associated Documents

Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-21E019-8042.PDF 214.319KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-21E019-7844.pdf 647.207KB

 

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Recall 573 Report – Amendment

RCLRPT-21E019-5155.PDF 214.394KB

 

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-21E019-2189.pdf 745.378KB

 

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-21E019-4821.pdf 476.163KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2021-2

RCLQRT-21E019-6464.PDF 211.109KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2021-4

RCLQRT-21E019-8093.PDF 211.274KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2021-3

RCLQRT-21E019-0779.PDF 211.274KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=21E019&docType=RCL

 

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1 Associated Investigation

The steering arm may fall onto roadway
NHTSA ID: PE20017
Dated opened: October 9, 2020

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) on October 9, 2020 to investigate a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB #10168802) submitted by Dexter Axles (Dexter) in December 2019 regarding the failure of Smart-Steer 2.0 steering arm mounting bolts. The failure of these steering arm mounting bolts allows the steering arm assembly to detach and fall into the roadway.

In response to an Information Request (IR) letter, Dexter submitted additional information regarding these failures, including warranty claim data and pictures of tie rods with lost clamps and steering arms. Through data analysis, ODI identified a trend of warranty claims with multiple occurrences of steering arm mounting bolts failing on Dexter Smart-Steer 2.0 axle assemblies. ODI was also aware of a comparable defect being addressed by recall 20E-055 on other steering axles that may have a similar configuration to Smart-Steer 2.0 Dexter Axles.

Discussions and analysis of the data between ODI and Dexter resulted in Dexter submitting recall 21E-019 on March 15, 2021. This recall includes and provides a remedy for the entire U.S. population of axles that were the subject of this PE20-017.

ODI is closing this PE with Dexter’s safety recall 21E-019.

 

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Last update on 2025-04-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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