NHTSA orders Volvo trucks without safety repairs to stop operating

Volvo is moving fast to address a recall of certain heavy duty truck models, but the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants those vehicles off the road until repairs are made.    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday immediately ordered Volvo Class 8 truck tractors that have not received repairs to correct a serious safety problem be immediately put out of service.
   A Volvo spokesperson said that 74 percent of the affected vehicles have already been fixed.
   On March 10, Volvo Trucks North America announced a recall of certain model 2016-17 trucks manufactured from May 11, 2015 through March 8, 2016. The trucks may have been manufactured without a roll pin on the steering shaft. If the roll pin is missing, the lower steering shaft may disconnect from the junction block.
   In addition, 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 recall affects 18,638 vehicles in the United States and Canada.
   On March 18, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a sister agency to NHTSA within the U.S. Department of Transportation, issued an urgent safety bulletin advising operators and carriers of recalled vehicles to immediately contact Volvo before continuing driving operations.
   NHTSA is overseeing Volvo Truck’s recall efforts to ensure prompt notification of the defect to vehicle owners and that vehicles are not operated in a defective condition. Operators of vehicles declared out-of-service must comply or face civil penalties as well as criminal prosecution.
   Volvo Trucks’ telematics capability has been very effective in getting the word out to drivers about seeking repairs, Susan Alt, senior vice president of public affairs, told American Shipper.
   Volvo dealers have contacted customers about the recall through written correspondence. Volvo knows which vehicles have subsequently been repaired by identification number and can directly send messages to drivers operating trucks with Volvo engines that they need to pull over and call the number that flashes on their in-cab screen.
   “I think we’re doing the right thing. We’re getting it done quickly,” said Alt.
   The recall impacts only a tiny percentage of the overall truck market. There are 3.2 million to 3.5 million trucks operating in North America, according to date from FTR Associates, a freight econometrics and consulting firm.
   Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles for FTR Associates, said Volvo’s recall puts pressure on the company at a time of weak truck sales.
   “In a market that has become weaker and more competitive, it limits their ability to compete for available business,” he said.
   Truck manufacturers have been hit by a slump in truck orders in recent months as industrial production in the United States has softened, creating less demand for truck transport. The drop in demand coincided with manufacturers gearing up plants to build more trucks over the previous two years as motor carriers undertook post-recession fleet renewal and added some equipment.