NHTSA Complaint #10016173 — 2002 UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

I PURCHASED A NEW 2002 PROCRAFT 200 SUPER PRO BASS BOAT AND CUSTOM TRAILER IN APRIL OF 2002. ON AUGUST 22, 2002 AFTER TRAILING THE BOAT I FOUND THAT THE HARDENED BOLT FOR THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE ON MY TRAILER HAD BROKEN SOMETIME WHILE BEING TRAILED. I GOT A REPLACEMENT BOLT FROM MY DEALER AND WAS TOLD BY THE FACTORY TO KEEP THE NUT AND BOLT TIGHT. ON OCTOBER 19, 2002 I RETURNED HOME FROM A FISHING TRIP AND ONCE AGAIN FOUND THE HARDENED BOLT BROKEN AGAIN. THE FACTORY WANTED TO JUST GIVE ME ANOTHER BOLT BUT I REFUSED AND RETURNED THE TRAILER TO MY DEALER FOR PROPER INSPECTION AND REPAIR. THE TRAILER WAS RETURNED TO THE FACTORY ON DECEMBER 5, 2002. I TOLD MY DEALER AND THE FACTORY SEVERAL TIMES I WAS NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THE TRAILER UNLESS A CAUSE TO THE TWO FAILURES WAS FOUND AND CORRECTIONS WERE MADE AND I WANTED DOCUMENTATION ON ALL FINDINGS AND REPAIRS. I MADE THE DEALER AND THE FACTORY AWARE THAT THE ANCHORING POINT FOR THE SAFETY CHAINS WAS FORWARD OF THE BOLT FOR THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE AND IF THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE WOULD HAVE BROKEN FREE FROM THE TRAILER THE SAFETY CHAINS WOULD HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT HOLD ONTO THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE THAT WOULD STILL BE ATTACHED TO THE TOW VEHICLE. THE BREAK AWAY CORD FOR MY HYDRAULIC BRAKES WOULD HAVE ALSO DONE NO GOOD SINCE THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER IS LOCATED IN THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE. IF THE TRAILER WOULD SEPARATE AT THE HARDENED BOLT THE HYDRAULICDS WOULD ONLY WORK MOMENTARILY UNTIL THE HYDRAULIC HOSE WOULD BE TORN BY THE TRAILER BREAKING AWAY. AT THE REQUEST OF MY DEALER THE ANCHORING POINT FOR THE SAFETY CHAINS ON MY TRAILER HAVE NOW BEEN RELOCATED TO A POSITION BEHIND THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE HARDENED BOLT HOWEVER WHAT ABOUT THE THOUSANDS OF OTHER TRAILER THE COMPANY HAS MANUFACTURED WITH THE SAFETY CHAIN ANCHORING POINT IN THE POSITION FORWARD OF THE SWING-AWAY TONGUE BOLT. THE COMPANY FORCED ME TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY TO GET THE PAPERWORK I REQUESTED AND THEY DID NOT GIVE A DETERMINATION TO THE FIRST TWO BOLT FAILURES. *NLM