NHTSA investigates recall of Volvo trucks

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2002) — The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has broadened its investigation into alleged safety defects in trucks made by Volvo Trucks North America between 1998 and 2000.

NHTSA granted a petition from a North Dakota owner-operator to audit a recall of 1998 through 2000 VN trucks for alleged defects involving steer axle U-bolts which could lead to front axle component failures.

A year ago, Volvo voluntarily recalled more than 1500 VN 770 model trucks relating to the weight rating on the certification label and the distribution of the weight on the front axle of the truck. According to complaints from owners, the label doesn’t accurately reflect the actual front gross axle weight, leading to overloading problems and overweight tickets. Volvo said it would replace the label, replace front axle components, and replace or relocate fuel tanks to address the problem.

North Dakota owner-operator Nick Barber, who petitioned NHTSA about the problem in the first place, asked the agency to look more closely at the problem, believing more trucks were affected. According to the April 9 Federal Register, the agency agreed to investigate steering defects and steer axle U-bolt failures on VN-610, 660 and 770 series trucks built during the model years 1998-2000. NHTSA already is looking into alleged rear axle U-bolt problems on 1998-2000 VN-610, 660, and 700 series trucks.

The Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association, the largest association of owner-operators in the United States, asked the agency to conduct a much larger investigation, expanding the scope to include a variety of complaints on more than 30 models of Volvo trucks produced over a span of 12 model years. The petition was too broad, NHTSA said, and many of the problems were not directly safety related.

Volvo has welcomed the NHTSA investigation, saying it wants to put the matter to rest. (With files from truckinginfo.com.)