Major manufacturers caught up in steering box issue recall
US-based component manufacturer R.H. Sheppard says the manufacturing of steering gears between June 1, 2021 and February 10 this year means more than 100,000 trucks including Volvo, Daimler and Kenworth models have been recalled.
Authorities are yet to examine the potential for 105,271 vehicles to be recalled, with Sheppard saying only a fraction of these trucks contain the said steering gear that would require the vehicle to be recalled.
Sheppard told the US recall body in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that a small percentage of steering gears were assembled without the necessary amount of internal recirculating balls.
If a steering gear doesn’t have enough internal recirculating balls then it may bind when loads are applied to the truck.
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Sheppard says in some cases the balls can even align on the same side of the worm shaft, meaning concentrated loads may cause the gear’s internal parts to fracture that would ultimately result in a dangerous loss of vehicle steering for the driver.
A seemingly similar, but unrelated, recall listing Penske Australia has advised that seven local Western Star Constellation models are affected with a steering box issue also.