Pierce Manufacturing: Steering
Pierce Manufacturing reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 9, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 64. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN FIRE TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH THE ALL WHEEL STEER OPTION, THE POSITION OF THE FRONT AXLE IS SENSED BY AN OPTICAL ENCODER MOUNTED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT AXLE KINGPIN, WHICH IS PROTECTED FROM THE ELEMENTS BY AN OUTER CASE. THIS CASE SHARES A COMMON GREASE CAVITY WITH THE KINGPIN. OIL THAT LEACHES FROM THE GREASE CAN MIGRATE THROUGH THE ENCODER SEAL, CAUSING CONTAMINATION OF THE OPTICAL ENCODER DISC.
The risk
OIL ON THE DISC CAN CAUSE THE ENCODER TO SEND INCORRECT WHEEL POSITION INFORMATION AND CAN CAUSE THE REAR WHEELS TO STEER UNEXPECTEDLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENCODERS WITH NEW ENCODERS WITH MORE ROBUST SEALS. THE CONTROL SOFTWARE WILL BE UPDATED TO PRODUCE AN ERROR CODE AND DISABLE THE REAR STEERING FUNCTION IF UNUSUAL ENCODER INPUTS ARE DETECTED. THE RECALL BEGAN JANUARY 25, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT PIERCE AT 1-888-974-3723.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Pierce Custom Chassis | 0 | 4 | 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 04V567000.
Full record for the 2004 Pierce Custom Chassis → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →