Coupler Improperly Welded – 2021-2022 Great Lakes Tandem 16′, 18′ & 20′ Trailers

SEOCONTENT-START

Dear Joe’s Trailer owner: This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Joe’s Trailer Mfg. has decided that a defect, which relates to recreational vehicle/Trailer safety, may exist in some 2021 and 2022 16’,18’, and 20’ Tandem Trailer/vehicles. DESCRIPTION OF THE SAFETY DEFECT AND SAFETY HAZARD Joe’s Trailer has determined that they may have received some couplers that may have been manufactured to specification. A batch of incomplete welded couplers were mixed with completed weld couplers at the manufacturer. This could cause the trailer to separate from the tow vehicle without prior warning, leading to a potential crash. REPAIRS To correct this condition, Joe’s Trailer will replace the coupler at no cost to you. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO You should immediately contact Joe’s Trailer to determine if your coupler was manufactured out of specification. If you prefer not to operate your trailer until repairs are made, please contact Joe’s Trailer to make arrangements to have your trailer towed to a repair shop at no cost to you. There are several important precautions you should take until this repair has been performed. The welds in question are on the bottom side of the coupler, and holds the bracket towards the trailer side in place for proper ball placement and securement. A coupler welded out of specification will only have a few small “tack” welds holding the bracket on, not a complete weld (approximately 1” long on both sides of the bracket) HOW LONG WILL THE REPAIR TAKE? Important Safety Recall Notice Joe’s Trailer Recall Campaign NEF‐107MR NHTSA Recall No. 22V‐366 The actual time to replace your vehicle/trailer coupler is 1 hour and 30 minutes. However, it may be necessary to leave your vehicle/trailer for a longer period of time on the day of your scheduled appointment to allow for flexibility in scheduling. Please present this letter to Joe’s Trailer at the time this repair is performed. IF YOU NEED FURTHER ASSITANCE: If you need additional assistance, please contact us directly:  Email: mdneu@joestrailermfg.com  Phone: 734‐261‐0050 Mondays and Thursdays – 8:00 am – 7:00 pm ET Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm ET Saturdays – 9:00 am – 2:00 pm ET  Mailing Address: 13374 Farmington Rd. Livonia, MI 48150 You 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 wwww.nhtsa.gov. Your continued satisfaction with Joe’s Trailer is important to us. Please understand that we have taken this action in the interest of your safety and your vehicle’s proper operation. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this matter may cause and urge you to contact Joe’s as soon as possible to have this repair performed. Sincerely, Joe’s Trailer Mfg.

**************************************************************************************************************

OMB Control No.: 2127-0004 Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-366 The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573 Manufacturer Name : Joe’s Trailer Mfg. Submission Date : MAY 20, 2022 NHTSA Recall No. : 22V-366 Manufacturer Recall No. : NR Manufacturer Information : Manufacturer Name : Joe’s Trailer Mfg. Address : 13374 Farmington Rd. Livonia MI 48150 Company phone : 2610050 Population : Number of potentially involved : 20 Estimated percentage with defect : 1 % Vehicle Information : Vehicle 1 : 2021-2022 Great Lakes Tandem 16′ Vehicle Type : TRAILERS Body Style : OTHER Power Train : NR Descriptive Information : We received a recall from one of our suppliers. During the noted shipping dates, we received a total of 10 of those part numbers. To account for mixed stock of old and new, we doubled that number and accounted for the next 20 trailers. Our inventory re-order point is 5, so 20 trailers would cover all potential defective parts, including previous inventory. These trailers are two axle trailers, so they require the defective part in question, a 2 5/16″ coupler, rather than a 2″ coupler, used on all of our other trailers. Production Dates : SEP 30, 2021 – MAR 31, 2022 VIN Range 1 : Begin : NR End : NR Not sequential Vehicle 2 : 2021-2022 Great Lakes Tandem 18′ Vehicle Type : TRAILERS Body Style : OTHER Power Train : NR Descriptive Information : We received a recall from one of our suppliers. During the noted shipping dates, we received a total of 10 of those part numbers. To account for mixed stock of old and new, we doubled that number and accounted for the next 20 trailers. Our inventory re-order point is 5, so 20 trailers would cover all potential defective parts, including previous inventory. These trailers are two axle trailers, so they require the defective part in question, a 2 5/16″ coupler, rather than a 2″ coupler, used on all of our other trailers. Production Dates : SEP 30, 2021 – MAR 31, 2022 VIN Range 1 : Begin : NR End : NR Not sequential Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-366 Page 2 The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573 Vehicle 3 : 2021-2022 Great Lakes Tandem 20′ Vehicle Type : TRAILERS Body Style : OTHER Power Train : NR Descriptive Information : We received a recall from one of our suppliers. During the noted shipping dates, we received a total of 10 of those part numbers. To account for mixed stock of old and new, we doubled that number and accounted for the next 20 trailers. Our inventory re-order point is 5, so 20 trailers would cover all potential defective parts, including previous inventory. These trailers are two axle trailers, so they require the defective part in question, a 2 5/16″ coupler, rather than a 2″ coupler, used on all of our other trailers. Production Dates : SEP 30, 2021 – MAR 31, 2022 VIN Range 1 : Begin : NR End : NR Not sequential Description of Defect : Description of the Defect : The bottom portion of the coupler may have not been completely welded. FMVSS 1 : NR FMVSS 2 : NR Description of the Safety Risk : The coupler welds could fail and may cause trailer/tow vehicle separation, which could cause a potential crash. Description of the Cause : The final welding operation was missed at the factory of some parts. A bin of tack welded (incomplete weld) CA-5400 couplers were mixed into other finished products in July 2021. These couplers were assembled and shipped to customers between 8/6/2021 – 10/25/2021. Identification of Any Warning that can Occur : Broken and incomplete welds will be visible on the bottom side of the coupler. An easy visual inspection will identify the problem. Involved Components : Component Name 1 : 2 5/16″ coupler Component Description : 2 5/16″ a-frame coupler Component Part Number : CA-5400 Supplier Identification : Component Manufacturer Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-366 Page 3 The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573 Name : Pacific Trailer Products, Inc. Address : 3507 NW 14th Ave. Camas Washington 98607 Country : United States Chronology : We were contacted by our supplier of a possible defect on the coupler. We cross checked our Purchase orders and found that we had received 10 during the 8/6/2021-10/25/21 dates provided in their 573. Our inventory levels automatically reorder at a minimum inventory level of 5. To cover for any potential mix up of new/old inventory, we are recalling 20 trailers to cover all potentially affected trailers. We did have two units that were sold as replacement parts, which we will be contacting our customer to reach out to their customer they may have installed the part on. We strictly manufacture for ourselves, so we do not have any dealers that we sell to. Description of Remedy : Description of Remedy Program : We do not have any dealers, as we sell directly to our customer base. All customers will be notified by either phone or mail by Joe’s Trailer. All costs will be reimbursed for this issue. NHTSA recall letters and process will occur in July of 2022. How Remedy Component Differs from Recalled Component : The remedy component will have a full, complete weld on the bottom side. The recalled component is not fully welded on the bottom Identify How/When Recall Condition was Corrected in Production : We received notification of a potential defect in May of 2022. We immediately looked at our purchase orders from our supplier during the dates on the 573 recall. We received 10 potential components that could be defective. Our minimum inventory to reorder is 5, putting the total in question at 15 components. We are recalling 20 trailers/parts, to account for old/new stock. Some of the components in question were still on our sales lot and immediately checked for defects, which were none (0). Recall Schedule : Description of Recall Schedule : We will first reach out to customers by phone and ask for them to check/ send us photographic proof of the bottom side of their coupler, NHTSA recall letters will go out July 2022, if not 100% by July. Planned Dealer Notification Date : NR – NR Planned Owner Notification Date : MAY 20, 2022 – JUL 19, 2022 * NR – Not Reported

SEOCONTENT-END