NHTSA Complaint #10703171 — 2007 PIERCE IMPEL

3/7/15, THIS FIRE TRUCK HAD STEERING ISSUES. THE CREW WAS RETURNING FROM A FIRE CALL. THE CREW CALLED THE ON-CALL TECHNICIAN AND REPORTED THE TRUCK WAS HARD TO DRIVE, HARD TO CONTROL, AND NOT SAFE. THE TECHNICIAN TEST DROVE AND AGREED WITH THE DRIVER. THE ILL STEERING TRUCK WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE. (HISTORY WITH THIS TRUCK, BALL JOINTS WERE INSPECTED ON MONTH PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. THE BALL JOINTS WERE INSPECTED WITH A PIERCE TECHNICIAN, IT WAS FOUND THAT TWO BALL JOINTS WERE JUST OUT OF SPEC. THE TRUCK WAS LEFT IN SERVICE AFTER DISCUSSING THE FINDINGS WITH THE PIERCE TECH. HE FELT THAT IT NEEDS TO BE SCHEDULED FOR REPLACEMENT, BUT WERE NOT BAD ENOUGH THAT THE BALL JOINT WOULD FAIL AND COME APART. WE ALREADY HAD TWO TRUCKS OUT OF SERVICE WITH FAILED BALL JOINTS. IF WE DID NOT HAVE THE TWO TRUCKS OUT OF SERVICE, WE WOULD HAVE STARTED THE REPAIRS RIGHT AWAY. THIS TRUCK ALSO WENT BACK TO THE DEALER SHORTLY AFTER DELIVERY IN 2008. THEY REPLACED BALL JOINTS/COMPONENTS DUE TO HARD TO DRIVE COMPLAINTS). 3/9/15 THE BALL JOINTS WERE REMOVED ON THIS ILL STEERING TRUCK, WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO FIND EXCESSIVE PLAY BETWEEN THE BALL AND THE SOCKET OF THE BALL JOINT. WE ALSO FOUND THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT WAS ROTATING INSIDE THE CONTROL ARM, THE UPPER BALL JOINT THRUSH WASHER HAD THE ALIGNMENT DOWELS SHEARED AND WAS ROTATING WITH THE BALL OF THE JOINT, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT SHIMS WERE DAMAGED, (POSSIBLY ROTATING). PICTURES WERE ATTACHED OF THE UPPER THRUST WASHER. TWO CONTROL ARMS WERE NOT ABLE TO BE REUSED, SO WE HAD TO REPLACE AT LEAST TWO CONTROL ARMS. SINCE WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE TWO CONTROL ARMS THAT NOW COME WITH THE NEW STYLE BALL JOINT, WE DECIDED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR CONTROL ARMS. THIS WAY THEY ARE THE NEWEST DESIGN BALL JOINT. THIS IS NOT JUST A BALL JOINT FAILURE. THE CONTROL ARMS ARE ALSO BEING DAMAGED. *TR