NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Equipment Query EQ13-002: Brake S-Cam Tube Bracket Failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Equipment Query EQ13-002 on May 28, 2013 and closed it on June 18, 2013. NHTSA's investigations file lists the International Prostar and Transtar for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EQ13-002 (also written EQ13002)
- 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 June 18, 2013
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Navistar, Inc.
- Component
- Service Brakes
- Vehicles and equipment
- International Prostar and Transtar
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 EQ13-002.
BACKGROUNDIn a letter dated January 15, 2012, Navistar, Inc. (Navistar) notified the NHTSA that it had decided a defect exists in certain Model Year 2012 and 2013 International brand ProStar and TranStar commercial trucks, manufactured from August 1, 2011 through June 12, 2012, and equipped with brake S-Cam tube bracket assemblies.
The brake S-Cam tube bracket assembly on the steering axle may exhibit fractures between the wing bracket and the tube steel when mounted.
According to Navistars filing, fractures between the wing bracket and the tube steel may result in an inoperative brake on the affected wheel end resulting in an unexpected pull condition during braking application or an unexpected increase in stopping distance.
Either result may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
NHTSA assigned recall number 12V-546 to this matter.
On May 28, 2013, the Recall Management Division (RMD) opened this Equipment Query Investigation in order to write to the company that supplied Navistar with these brake S-cam tube bracket assemblies, to notify the supplier of this defect, and to ensure thorough safety recalls are conducted where appropriate.
An Information Request (IR) letter was sent to Meritor, Inc. (Meritor) on May 31, 2013 requesting: a list of original equipment vehicle manufacturers and after-market customers that purchased the affected brakes; the name, address and phone number of a contact for each customer; the quantity sold; the dates shipped; and, a defect report.
MERITOR RESPONSEIn a letter dated June 13, 2013, Meritor responded to the IR letter and reported that based on its review of the data and information on the brake S-cam tube bracket assemblies, it did not believe these brake assemblies contain a safety related defect.
Meritor investigated returned components and determined that fractures in the brake S-Cam tube bracket assemblies resulted from vehicle front-end system vibration; and, there were no defects in the design, material or manufacture of the returned components.
Accordingly, Meritor stated that it will not file a defect report or conduct a recall of any equipment.
However, as requested by RMD, Meritor provided a purchaser list identifying Navistar as the only purchaser of these brake S-Cam tube bracket assemblies. RECALL MANAGEMENT DIVISION ACTION All vehicle and replacement equipment manufacturers have been identified and have either filed a recall report and are conducting a recall, or have provided a response explaining why they do not believe the products they manufactured are defective.
Accordingly, this equipment query is closed.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Equipment Query EQ13-002. 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.
International
All International recallsWhat 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 EQ13-002
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.