NHTSA Complaint #11455852 — 2019 PETERBILT 389

- The steering arm on the driver side of the Dana D-Series axle that was installed from the Peterbilt factory on a new 2019 Peterbilt 389 that was purchased new by Acord Transportation, Inc. is what failed. The steering arm on the D-Series axle bolts to the steering knuckle with two bolts as opposed to being one solid cast piece as in other families of Dana axles - such as the E-Series. When backing into a parking space the two bolts holding the steering arm to the steering knuckle broke, causing the steering arm to come free from the steering knuckle - ultimately causing a catastrophic failure and a complete loss of steering. Peterbilt took the steering arm for inspection following the failure, but did not return it to us. - Had this incident occurred while traveling on a public roadway, the driver would have lost all ability to steer the commercial vehicle (which could potentially be weighing 80,000 lbs and transporting hazardous materials) and would have no control over where the unit went. It could have resulted in an auto or property collision - potentially causing multiple injuries or fatalities. - We know of another company that has had two failures identical to this one. Allegedly, Dana Spicer admitted to our Peterbilt dealer that they knew of 12 other failures such as this. - The truck that experienced the failure was taken to the dealership where it was purchased. It was repaired by retrofitting the axle to the E-Series components. As mentioned, they kept the steering arm/bolts that failed. - There was no warning, nor is there potential to be any warning. If this happens, it will happen immediately and all control of the vehicle by the driver will be lost. The bolts that failed appeared to have been corroding for a period of time prior to the failure. However, there is no way to visually inspect the condition of the bolts without removing several components on the tire/wheel, hub and brake assembly and completely removing the bolts.