This is a tandem axle boat trailer. Failure is two fold. Traveling at highway speed North bound on Highway 101 I encountered a double bump on the highway which put a moment of force on the trailer coupler. Coupler disengaged from the tow ball and the boat and trailer started fishtailing violently. This trailer was manufactured using safety cables verses safety chains due to an extended stinger feature. The safety cables pass through a U shaped guide on the bottom of the trailer stinger and proceed to the tow vehicle where they are attached. Once the coupler failed the fish tailing sheared the cables at the U shaped guide. Boat is now no longer attached to the tow vehicle in any way at 45 mph on a Sat afternoon in heavy traffic. Fortunately, the highway started going down grade. By slowing down gradually I was able to keep the boat behind me, while it was slamming into my trucks tailgate, until I came to a stop. This is a life-threatening situation with all kinds of possible scenarios. Trailer was purchased new by me. I returned trailer to the dealer where purchased. Coupler was removed and sent to Dexter the manufacturer. Dexter claims there is nothing wrong with it and is ignoring why it failed instead of looking into why it did. I have the coupler and concrete proof why it failed and want to share this information with the NHSTA. In addition the trailer manufacturer EZ Loader is ignoring the fact that the safety cables are inadequate and failed as well. There are a ton of t
2020 Ez Loader T102
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsNorthriver has miss used this trailer, it's 5200 lbs trailer with a 5800 lbs boat on it. I have blown out tires.
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2020Other Ez Loader models
All Ez Loader models →Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.