Following a recent company-issued recall notice, the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday, March 23, ordered certain Volvo trucks out of service, saying they are unsafe “and should not be operated.”
The out of service order applies to only those trucks that have not yet been repaired under the recall.
Some Volvo trucks have been ordered out of serviceOn March 10 Volvo Trucks North America announced the recall of some 2016-2017 VNL, VNX, and VNM trucks manufactured between May 11, 2015 and March 8 of this year. The trucks may have been manufactured without a roll pin on the steering shaft, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
In a statement, the FMCSA explains:
“If the roll pin is missing, the lower steering shaft may disconnect from the junction block. Also, the bolt connecting the upper steering shaft to the lower steering shaft may not have been properly tightened. Either condition can lead to separation of the steering shaft without warning, resulting in a complete loss of steering, which may lead to a crash.”
The FMCSA issued an Urgent Safety Bulletin about the problem on March 18, and urged owners of the trucks to contact Volvo before continuing to use the trucks.
“Today’s announced declaration is not intended to provide a basis for further enforcement action, but seeks only the immediate cessation of the unrepaired, unsafe trucks,” the FMCSA said in a statement on its website. “Operators of vehicles declared out-of-service must comply; violating a federal out-of-service order may result in civil penalties as well as criminal prosecution.”
See the Federal Register announcement here.
