Chassis and Upfit Rubber Adhesive May Fail – 2018-2019 Thunder Creek Multi-Tank Upfit Vehicles

April 20, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V224000

Chassis and Upfit Rubber Adhesive May Fail

The movement of the chassis and load could cause bolts securing the tank to the chassis to shear, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V224

Manufacturer LDJ Manufacturing, Inc.

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected 17

 

Summary

LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. (LDJ) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Thunder Creek Multi-Tank Upfit vehicles. The adhesive that secures the rubber filler in the place between the chassis and the upfit could fail, potentially causing the rubber to come out of place and cause movement of the upfit and load.

 

Remedy

LDJ will notify owners, and dealers will install aluminum brackets around the rubber filler between the chassis and the upfit to secure the rubber filler in place. Additionally, dealers will install nuts with locking washers on the upfitted load in order to further secure the load to the upfit. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 5, 2020. Owners may contact LDJ customer service at 1-641-620-9412.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

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This notice applies to your vehicle

 

Safety Recall: MTU Chassis and Upfit Rubber Adhesive May Fail

Vehicles Affected: MTU units produced from August 2018 to March 2019

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Recall Number: 20V224

Dear Owner,

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. has identified a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety in certain MTU truck upfits purchased from August 2018 to August 2019.

 

What is the concern?

The defect, which is detailed below, can cause the upfit to separate from the chassis during transport and if repairs are not made this could cause a serious accident. LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. recommends that owners not operate the truck upfit until the necessary repair has been performed.

A vehicle manufacturing concern has been identified with the adhesive securing the rubber component between the chassis and the truck upfit which could cause the rubber to loosen from between the chassis and the upfitted section. MTU trucks could experience loosening rubber filler with a risk of the rubber filler separating from the truck chassis. If the glue fails, it can allow the rubber to work out from between the chassis and the frame and shifting between the upfit and the chassis could occur during breaking and acceleration. Over time, the bolts that secure the upfit can shear off, which could cause the upfit to separate from the chassis during transport.  The movement of the chassis and load could cause bolts securing the tank to the chassis to shear, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

What will LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. and an authorized LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. service representative do? LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. is carrying out a recall on the vehicle mentioned above. An authorized LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. service representative will inspect the rubber to ensure the rubber filler is secured in the correct location between the chassis and the upfit and will install aluminum brackets to secure the rubber filler. The representative will also install screws and locking washers and nuts onto the upfitted tanks. There will be no charge for this repair under this program.

 

What should you do?

LDJ Manufacturing, Inc. will remedy the issue without charge to the owner of the vehicle. To have your vehicle repaired, contact Ryan Baarda whose contact information can be found below. Inform Ryan that you received a copy of this notice, provide your vehicle identification number (VIN), and he will assist you in locating an authorized LDJ Manufacturing service representative that can complete the work required under this recall. He will also provide a service bulletin to this representative instructing them how to complete the recall remedy.

 

How long will it take?

Repairs for impacted trailers are available once the service representative has received the parts needed to make the repairs. Repairs will be reimbursed for up to 1.5 hours for trailers needing aluminum bracket replacement.

 

What if you have already paid to have repairs completed at another location?

If you have paid to have your upfitted truck repaired prior to receiving this letter, you may be eligible for reimbursement through LDJ Manufacturing, Inc.’s program for reimbursing pre-notification remedies for repairs related to this issue. For more information, please reach out to Ryan Baarda for information on how you can be reimbursed for repairs you have paid out to remedy these matters. Prior repairs will be reimbursed for up to 1.5 hours per truck to have the service work completed.

 

Attention Leasing Agencies:

If you are the owner of an upfitted truck who is leasing the upfitted truck to another individual using the trailer, federal regulations require that any vehicle lessor receiving this notice must forward a copy of the Owner Letter to the vehicle lessee within ten days.

 

What should you do if you have further questions?

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Customer Product Support and Quality Inspector Ryan Baarda at: 866.535.7667 toll-free or 641.620.4037 direct, or email  ryanb@thundercreek.com.

 

If you have the need to contact LDJ by mail, please use the following address:

LDJ Manufacturing, Inc.
ATTN: Ryan Baarda
1833 IA-163
Pella, IA 50219

 

If after having attempted to take advantage of this recall you believe you have not been able to have your vehicle remedied without charge and within a reasonable amount of time, you may submit a complaint to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.,

Washington, D.C., 20590; or call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424- 9153); or go to h ttp://www.safercar.gov.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ryan Baarda

Product Support & Quality Inspector

 

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SERVICE BULLETIN

TCE-SB015 | April 30, 2020

 

THUNDER CREEK EQUIPMENT

ThunderCreek.com

 

SERVICE CONTACT

Ryan Baarda
1833 Highway 163 | Pella, IA 50219
P: 866.535.7667 | F: 641.620.8302
E: ryanb@ldj-products.com

 

Subject: MTU Chassis and Upfit Rubber Adhesive May Fail

Affected Products: MTU trucks produced between 8/13/2018 and 3/21/2019.

Issue Description: The upfit unit could become separated from the truck chassis. The rubber filler that is glued between the upfit and the chassis may fail. If the glue fails, it can allow the rubber to work out from between the chassis and the frame and shifting between the upfit and the chassis could occur during breaking and acceleration. Over time, the bolts that secure the upfit can shear off, causing the upfit to slide off the chassis during transport.

Required Action: 1) Install brackets around the rubber filler between the chassis and the upfit to secure the rubber filler in place.  The brackets are designed to hold the rubber filler in place between the chassis and the upfit in the event that the glue securing the rubber filler were to fail.  2) Install provided nuts, lock washers, and hard washers on the upfitted load in order to further secure the load to the upfit.

1) The brackets must be installed to hold the rubber filler in place. After ensuring the  rubber is centered under the upfit, install the brackets as shown in the diagram below. Outside brackets (8) and inside brackets (4) have been provided to prevent the rubber filler from falling out. The brackets should be equally spaced, as much as possible, on the upfit frame.

 

Upfit frame (from the top)

Note that this diagram only shows one side of the truck.

 

Upfit frame (from the side)

Brackets

 

Upfit frame (cross section)

Place the bracket on the frame, to hold the rubber in place, utilizing the 3/8 x 1” bolt, washer and lock nut provided.

 

2) Remove and install the new bolts, nuts, lock washers and washers (16) and torque to 100 ft. lbs. There are 4 plates that secure the upfit to the chassis and 4 bolts for each plate.

There are two plates on each side of the chassis.

 

This is the new hardware that will replace the bolts. Put the lock washer on the nut side and put the washer next to the bolt.

 

Warranty: Warranty labor will be paid at 1.5 hours per truck.

Reminder: It is a violation of federal law to sell products covered by a safety defect recall.

Parts will be sent UPS. All service reimbursement claims must be emailed to ryanb@thundercreek.com.

 

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2 Affected Products

Vehicle

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
THUNDER CREEK	MULTI-TANK UPFIT	2018-2019

 

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9 Associated Documents

Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V224-9589.PDF 213.777KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20V224-7766.pdf 245.253KB

 

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Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-20V224-0030.pdf 660.519KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-2

RCLQRT-20V224-4817.PDF 211.129KB

 

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-20V224-6627.pdf 1154.876KB

 

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Recall 573 Report- Amendment 1

RCLRPT-20V224-2233.PDF 214.012KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2020-3

RCLQRT-20V224-5610.PDF 211.224KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2020-4

RCLQRT-20V224-2347.PDF 211.31KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2021-1

RCLQRT-20V224-2720.PDF 211.41KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

For the Latest and Most Recent Recalls Information Visit the link below…

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=20V224&docType=RCL

 

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