NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Equipment Query EQ12-004: TSE Brakes, Inc. Hill Hold Requirements
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ12-004 on April 2, 2012 and closed it on May 25, 2012. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 models from 2 makes for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EQ12-004 (also written EQ12004)
- Investigation type
- Equipment Query An administrative investigation that reviews recall reports to confirm that the equipment suppliers and vehicle manufacturers involved in an equipment recall have filed the recall reports required of them.
- Status
- Closed May 25, 2012
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- Shyft Group; TSE BRAKES, INC.
- Component
- Service Brakes, Air
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 models from 2 makes, including the Spartan K2 and Spartan MG
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Equipment Query EQ12-004.
On March 22, 2012, Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan) notified the NHTSA that it had decided a defect exists in certain model year 2012 K2 and MG chassis manufactured from December 15, 2011, through January 31, 2012, and equipped with 3030 brake chambers.
These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 121, Air Brake Systems because they do not meet the park brake and draw bar requirements.
The park brake may not hold the vehicle in place and if the vehicle moves, injury or property damage could occur without warning.
NHTSA assigned recall number 12V-125 to this matter.
Spartan reported that the manufacturer of the noncompliant brake chambers was TSE Brakes, Inc. (TSE).
On April 9, 2012, the Recall Management Division (RMD) mailed an information request (IR) letter to TSE requesting a list of purchasers who received the noncompliant brake chambers, and also inquiring if TSE sold any affected brake chambers in the replacement market.
In a letter dated April 20, 2012, TSE responded to RMD?s IR letter by explaining their non-concurrence with Spartan?s noncompliance decision. TSE noted that, to date, Spartan has provided three draw bar test results.
The first test, dated November 29, 2011, ?significantly failed? while two tests dated February 7, 2012, ?significantly passed.?TSE concluded that these results ?ruled out the TSE actuator as an explanation? due to the actuators displaying the same output force yet having different test results.
Also, TSE made note that there is no FMVSS requirement for actuator performance as FMVSS 121 compliance only relates to vehicle braking performance.
The actuators used on Spartan?s 13 recalled chassis, according to TSE, meet industry standards per SAE J2318.
TSE noted that these brake chambers are ?produced in Mexico and shipped to the U.S. for Spartan Motors only.?Irrespective of the differing views between TSE and Spartan, all chassis that could have been impacted by the reported noncompliance have been recalled.
This EQ is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ12-004. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Spartan
All Spartan recallsTSE
TSE Air Brake Actuator
- model year not given
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EQ12-004
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.