By Chris Yow
Editor
The Associated Press reported today Trussville-based Fontaine Fifth Wheel has agreed to recall around 6,800 trailer hitches it produced, according to the report.
A photo of the recalled Ultra LT fifth wheel. Photo courtesy HD Trucking
The product, known as the Ultra LT, was manufactured from 2009-13, but was discontinued in 2013 as part of a project to reduce the number of products the company produced and the interchangeability of parts.
A fatal traffic accident in Ohio killing two men involved the Ultra LT fifth wheel product, and as a result brought attention to the product.
Fontaine maintains the product is not defective, and released a statement on the matter reading, “While Fontaine does not believe that the Ultra LT is in any way defective when properly operated and maintained per Fontaine’s instructions and in compliance with federal and state laws, Fontaine has decided, after further discussion with (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and in the interest of bringing a timely and efficient resolution to this issue, to conduct the campaign as a safety recall.”
The company said it reached out to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in May to discuss doing a field campaign to replace the remainder of the Ultra LT fifth wheels sold in the U.S.
Fontaine, however, still did not consider there to be a safety-related defect, their statement read. The company, “decided to replace the units to provide more robust feedback to operators, to reduce the potential for operator error and to eliminate the need to continue to stock parts and repair kits for a discontinued product,” according to the statement.
The NHTSA began their investigation a month later in June, according to the Associated Press.
According to the statement from Fontaine Fifth Wheel, the company engaged in a product enhancement exercise to modify the locking wedge on the first generation Ultra LT fifth wheels to make it more likely the product would fail a tug test if not properly locked or inspected by operators. The campaign was followed by a technical service bulletin to customers of the locking mechanism that when repeatedly coupled improperly, the lock could show damage. The company then added production changes to the design to make it less likely to damage from improper use.
Fontaine wrote that as part of the recall, the company will replace all Ultra LT units with the newer Ultra NT model at no charge, including up to $100 in labor costs associated with the replacement.
