NHTSA Complaint #10914957 — 2012 TRAILS WEST RPM

I WRITE YOU TODAY REGARDING A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN FOR MY TRAILS WEST CLASSIC 2 HORSE TRAILER. I BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS TRAILERS MALFUNCTIONING AXEL, AND I NEVER RECEIVED PROPER NOTICE OF THIS DEFECT. HAD I RECEIVED PROPER NOTICE, I WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE TRAILER MALFUNCTION I HAD YESTERDAY POTENTIALLY ENDANGERING THE LIFE OF MY HORSE AND MYSELF. I WILL FURTHER EXPLAIN MY CONCERNS AND THE TRAILERS MALFUNCTION BELOW. IN 2014, I TOOK MY HORSE TRAILER INTO LES SCHWAB TIRES IN SALEM, OR TO HAVE THE BEARINGS PACKED AND ENSURE ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS IN COMPLIANCE. SHORTLY BEFORE TAKING MY TRAILER INTO LES SCHWAB, THE TIRES AND BREAKING MECHANISM LOCKED UP WHILE I WAS HAULING MY HORSE. I SAFELY TRANSPORTED THE TRAILER TO LES SCHWAB, AND ASKED WHAT COULD CAUSE THE TIRES TO LOCK UP, AND ENSURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. THE MANAGER INFORMED ME HE HAD SEEN A SIMILAR LOCKING INSTANCE ON ONE OTHER TRAILER WHEN THERE WAS A BENT AXEL CAUSING THE TIRES TO SEIZE. I HAD ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND A FULL INSPECTION COMPLETED ON THAT DAY TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MY HORSE AND MYSELF. YESTERDAY, WHILE PULLING MY HORSE TRAILER DOWN INTERSTATE 5 THROUGH SALEM, OR, THE FRONT LEFT TIRE BEGAN TO SMOKE ON THE HIGHWAY. MY VEHICLE WAS LOCATED IN BETWEEN HIGHWAYS EXITS, AND PULLING THE HORSE OUT OF THE TRAILER ALONG THE HIGHWAY WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN SLOWLY MANEUVERING THE SMOKING TRAILER OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT. I SLOWLY MOVED THE TRAILER (AT ROUGHLY 30 MPH) DOWN THE FREEWAY AS THE TRAILER CONTINUED TO HEAT, SMOKE, AND EMIT HEAVY BURNING SMELLS FROM THE WHEEL BASE INTO A SAFER PLACE FOR THE HORSE AND MYSELF. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE TIRES, I NOTICED BOTH HUB CAPS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TRAILER HAD FLOWN OFF IN TRANSIT, AND THE WHEELS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TRAILER SHIFTED OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THE BACK LEFT TIRE EXPANDED TO TWICE THE STANDARD SIZE AND CONTINUED TO SMOKE AROUND THE TIRES, BEARINGS, AND AXEL HINGES.