NHTSA Complaint #10356665 — 2010 MACK CXU612

I AM A MECHANIC FOR ABF. FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, MACK HAS SOLD TO ABF ROAD TRACTORS WITH DEFECTIVE 5TH WHEEL MOUNTING BOLTS. THE BOLTS STRETCH AND BECOME LOOSE WITH USE (USUALLY WITHIN THE FIRST 30,000 MILES). FOR UNKNOWN REASONS ABF HAS NEVER HELD MACK ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS PROBLEM, PREFERRING TO TIGHTEN THE BOLTS WHEN A DRIVER COMPLAINS AND REPLACING BOLTS WHEN THEY PULL IN TWO. I HAVE REPEATEDLY WARNED MY SUPERVISORS THAT THESE BOLTS SHOULD BE REPLACED RATHER THAN REPEATEDLY RETORQUED, BUT HAVE BEEN REBUFFED DUE TO MANAGEMENT DISTRUST OF UNION EMPLOYEES. NOW OUR 2010 MODEL TRUCKS ARE GETTING 20-50K MILES ON THEM AND I AM SEEING NEARLY 100% WITH LOOSE 5TH WHEEL MOUNT BOLTS. WE PURCHASED REPLACEMENT BOLTS FROM MACK AND DISCOVERED THAT THEY WOULD NOT TAKE THE TORQUE SPEC THAT MACK GAVE US, THEY SIMPLY STRETCHED UNTIL THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA WAS ABOUT HALF NORMAL AND THEN BROKE! WE THEN ACQUIRED AFTERMARKET BOLTS LOCALLY AND HAD NO PROBLEMS TIGHTENING THEM TO MANUFACTURER'S SPECS. IT IS MY THEORY (AND FEAR) THAT MACK'S SUPPLIER HAS PROVIDED BOLTS OF INFERIOR QUALITY FOR YEARS AND THAT THOSE BOLTS HAVE BEEN USED IN THE ASSEMBLY LINES AS WELL AS IN MACK PARTS DEPARTMENTS NATIONWIDE. I AM ASKING THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE ABF MANAGEMENT SEEMS UNWILLING TO VIGOROUSLY SEEK A SOLUTION. AFTER THREE YEARS OF BOLT FAILURE OUR LARGEST ABF PARTS DEPARTMENT ONLY STOCKS ENOUGH BOLTS TO FIX ONE TRUCK AT A TIME. I AM ALSO CERTAIN THAT THESE BOLTS ARE IN SERVICE IN MANY OTHER FLEETS ACROSS THE NATION, SO IT IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT ABF SHOULD HAVE TO SOLVE ALONE. I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS AND SAMPLES OF THE DEFECTIVE HARDWARE AND CAN OBTAIN MODELS AND VIN'S IF NECESSARY. *TR