What’s the problem?
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this recall affects:
- Pittsburgh Automotive 3 ton heavy duty steel jack stands, part No. 56371
- Pittsburgh Automotive 3 ton heavy duty steel jack stands, part No. 61196
- Pittsburgh Automotive 6 ton heavy duty steel jack stands, part No. 61197
These jack stands consist of a stamped metal 4-leg base, into which slides a vertical, toothed lift post. A pawl assembly built into the metal base engages with the teeth on the post, permitting height adjustability.
According to Harbor Freight, the problem is not with the design of the jack stands themselves. Instead, the company says that “aging of the tooling and inconsistent location indexing of the pawl armature hole” has led to a condition whereby “the ratchet teeth on the jack stand lifting extension inconsistently engage the pawl to sufficient depth.” This potential lack of positive engagement means the stand could fail suddenly and without warning; just a small shift in load on the stand could trigger the failure.
Harbor Freight sells a variety of different jack stands, many of which may look nearly identical. This is why it is important to check the part numbers, not just the models.
While Harbor Freight believes only some of the newer Pittsburgh jack stands may contain the defect, it is recalling all stands with the above part numbers “out of an abundance of caution.” Taking all models and part numbers together, roughly 1.7 million jack stands are affected by the recall, according to the NHTSA.
Harbor Freight has discontinued the sale of affected stand models, and the company says it “will provide a gift card equal to the shelf price of these jack stands to all customers who have purchased them.”
Do I Have a Pittsburgh Jack Stands Recall Class Action Lawsuit?
The Product Liability Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Pittsburgh Jack Stands Recall Class Action Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled Pittsburgh jack stand, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.