22E043 – Grill Guard Mounting Bracket May Break – Curt Retrac Maglatch Bracket Kits

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Corporate Headquarters I 4100 Edison Lakes Parkway, Mishawaka, IN 46545 I Phone 574.535.1125
IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL
NHTSA Safety Recall: 22E-043
Date: June 23, 2022
VIA EMAIL & UPS DELIVERY
OEM CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION
This Customer Notification is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the United States National Traffic
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
REASON FOR THIS RECALL
Lippert has conducted a thorough investigation and determined an issue which relates to motor vehicle safety may
exist in an aftermarket component sold by our Curt Products group. This is related to our Curt/Retrac Maglatch
Bracket Kit, Part Number 207980 and the possibility of the mounting bracket metal fracturing due to an incomplete
or short weld. Our records indicate your company purchased one or more of the involved Curt/Retrac Maglatch
Bracket kits built between 06/20/2021 and 02/28/2022 which are the subject of this recall. The Curt/Retrac Maglatch
Bracket kits sold to you which are subject to the recall are listed in detail in a spreadsheet included with this notice.
If these products are still in your inventory, you must not sell or install these into units. It is a violation of
federal law to sell any of the listed kits covered by this recall.
WHAT WE WILL DO
Lippert will replace the kits supplied to you or will issue a refund and cover the freight costs involved to have the
original kits returned to our facility. Lippert will also issue reimbursements for any costs involved in removing this
bracket from a consumer’s vehicle. Any parts which may be determined to be needed for the remedy are currently
available.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
You or your dealer should remove the product if it is installed on a vehicle. Lippert’s Customer Service department
may be reached via email at [email protected] or via phone at 574-538-4514 if there are any questions. Lippert does
not require advance contact or a pre-auth be obtained; labor allowance for the product to be removed or replaced on
a vehicle is 0.5 hours with the original grill guard required to be returned.
If you are not satisfied, we have done our best to remedy this situation, you may submit a written complaint to:
Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590. You may call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or go to
http://safercar.gov. Federal regulations require that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy
of this notice to the lessee within ten days.
We regret any inconvenience this concern may cause you. As we are sure you will appreciate, the safety and quality
of our products are of the utmost importance to us. Thank you for your attention and cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Lippert Components, Inc.

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OMB Control No.: 2127-0004
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22E-043
The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573
Manufacturer Name : Lippert
Submission Date : MAY 23, 2022
NHTSA Recall No. : 22E-043
Manufacturer Recall No. : 2022-01-CURT
Manufacturer Information :
Manufacturer Name : Lippert
Address : Attn: Pamela VanderMel
PO Box 2888 Elkhart IN 46515
Company phone : 5743126040
Population :
Number of potentially involved : 52
Estimated percentage with defect : 100 %
Equipment Information :
Brand / Trade 1 : Retrac/Curt/Lippert
Model : Maglatch Bracket Kit for 2021+ Kenworth T680 & 2022+ Peterbilt 579 (New
Generation)
Part No. : 207980
Size : 44 lbs
Function : MountingBracket
Descriptive Information : Recall population was determined by the qty created by the prior design.
Recalled products were built differently and quarantined from product not
included in the recall. A Quantity of 52 of the brackets are the number of affected
products.
Production Dates : JUN 20, 2021 – FEB 28, 2022
Description of Defect :
Description of the Defect : The mounting bracket metal is fracturing at the mating corner of the front
gusset plate and side gusset with bent mounting surface
FMVSS 1 : NR
FMVSS 2 : NR
Description of the Safety Risk : Mounting Bracket may bend or break allowing additional damage to occur to
the grill guard
Description of the Cause : The extra weight of the ProTec guard and road vibration combined,
contributed to the fracture at the highest stress point indicated by nondestructive
analysis. A potential incomplete/short weld at the mating corner
may have also contributed to material fracture.
Identification of Any Warning
that can Occur :
Fracturing at the mating corner
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22E-043 Page 2
The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573
Involved Components :
Component Name : Maglatch bracket kit
Component Description : Zinc Plated, carbon steel brackets that pivot to allow the attached guard to be
lowered for hood access. Latching is achieved with included rare-earth magnets
and additional security pin.
Component Part Number : 207980
Supplier Identification :
Component Manufacturer
Name : Lippert/Curt
Address : NR
NR
Country : United States
Chronology :
03/23/2022: Customer reported issue of bracket failure to Curt Customer Service.
04/04/2022: Customer sent photos of brackets and guard indicating bracket failure was not the result of an
impact
04/04/2022: Second customer reports bracket failure
04/05/2022: Field inspection of existing brackets by Engineering and Quality in Sioux Falls SD
04/06/2022: Meeting held with Quality, Engineering, Production and product teams to review the two
customer reports.
04/06/2022: On hand inventory of 207980 put on quality hold
04/11/2022: Second field inspection of brackets by Engineering and Quality in Sheldon IA
04/18/2022: Third report of bracket concern received.
4/21/2022: Decision made to redesign 207980
4/22/2022: Redesign completed
4/27/2022: Internal Notification sent by Curt Team
05/02/2022: Safety Committee Informed
05/10/2022: Safety Committee Review and Discussion
05/13/2022: Decision to issue formal recall
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22E-043 Page 3
The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573
Description of Remedy :
Description of Remedy Program : All Customers who purchased a Protec series guard with bracket kit
207980 will be sent a 207982 bracket kit at no charge with instructions to
immediately replace bracket.
How Remedy Component Differs
from Recalled Component :
Along with a new part number, the front gusset and side gusset with bent
mounting surface both have additional material added that is visually
apparent. The mating surface has additional material with a different
welded interface.
Identify How/When Recall Condition
was Corrected in Production :
The recall condition was corrected in production by creating a new part
number (207982) to give a clear indication of re-design. Additional
material was added to the mounting bracket front plate to allow both
better weld quality around the mounting tube and also allow welding on
both sides of the side gusset. The side gusset has additional material
added both behind the front mounting plate for additional strength and
also in front of the front mounting plate with a larger radius corner to
reduce the stress. Non-destructive analysis was performed, comparing the
original design and re-design to verify stress reduction.
Recall Schedule :
Description of Recall Schedule : All customers who purchased a Protec series guard with bracket kit
207980 will be sent a 207982 bracket kit at no charge with instructions
to immediately replace the brackets.
Customers will be notified via USPS mail as well.
Planned Dealer Notification Date : JUN 03, 2022 – JUN 10, 2022
Planned Owner Notification Date : JUN 03, 2022 – JUN 10, 2022
Purchaser Information :
The following manufacturers purchased this defective/noncompliant equipment for possible use or
installation in new motor vehicles or new items of motor vehicle equipment:
Name : NR
Address : NR
NR
Country : NR
Company Phone : NR
* NR – Not Reported

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