Pierce Manufacturing: Steering › Linkages › Tie Rod Assembly
Pierce Manufacturing reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 8, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 202. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN FIRE TRUCKS WITH TANDEM STEER AXLES. THE TRW TIE-ROD ON THE REAR-MOST AXLE OF A TANDEM AXLE IS RESTRAINED FROM ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT BY A PAIR OF ANTI-ROTATION SEALS LOCATED AT THE BALL SOCKET JOINTS. THESE ANTI-ROTATION SEALS WILL COMPRESS OVER TIME. IF THE ANTI-ROTATION SEAL ALLOWS TOO MUCH MOTION, THE SEALS CAN DETERIORATE, ALLOWING CONTACT BETWEEN THE BALL SOCKET AND THE BALL SHAFT. THIS METAL-TO-METAL CONTACT WILL TRANSMIT FORCES INTO THE TIE-ROD TUBE, CAUSING FATIGUE FAILURE INITIATING AT THE ROOT OF THE FEMALE TREADS.
The risk
FAILURE OF THE TIE-ROD WILL ALLOW ONE OF THE WHEELS TO SWING TO THE LIMIT OF ITS STEERING STOP, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TIE ROD. NOTIFICATION TO OWNERS BEGAN NOVEMBER 7, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT PIERCE AT 1-888-974-3723.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 03V380000.
Full record for the 2003 Pierce Custom Chassis → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →