Safety defect investigations, technical specifications, and manufacturer repair notices for Canadian owners.
Enter a VIN to identify your vehicle and find Canadian recall notices that may apply to its make, model and year. Confirm VIN-specific eligibility and repair status with the manufacturer.
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Safety recall notices and repair campaigns registered for the 1988 Western Star Conventional in Canada.
Certain trucks may have been built with bare mufflers mounted at the back of the cab behind air shields. There is no heat shield to protect someone from contacting the hot muffler if they are standing on a deck plate behind the cab. Also, some of these vehicles were equipped with deck plates with no grab handle for access. Correction: Muffler shields and where necessary, grab handles will be installed on affected vehicles.
A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the brake return springs on the front brakes may contact the front hubs. Over time the hub may wear the spring shank to the point of spring failure. A piece of the failed spring may become lodged in the brake cam causing the brake to drag. This could cause the steering to pull to one side without prior warning and a crash could occur. Correction: Front hubs will be replaced.
A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the aluminum rear spring shackle brackets may have developed cracks which may lead to separation of the brackets from the frame rail. This could cause the suspension to drop down on one side and result in a reduction in steering control with the potential for a crash. Correction: Rear spring shackle brackets will be replaced.
A failure of this component (suspension) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the grab handles may be susceptible to fatigue failure and may break at the bend radius near the upper mounting bolt hole. Failure during use could result in a fall and personal injury. Correction: Grab handles will be replaced.
A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the electronic accelerator pedal on these may experience premature failure of the pedal return springs. If both springs fail, the pedal will not return to the idle position when the pedal is released and an unintended full throttle condition could occur which in turn could result in a vehicle accident. Correction: Pedal will be modified or replaced as required.
A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the aluminum clutch release lever may fail as the result of stress corrosion due to continuous loading of the lever and exposure to road salt spray. This would render the clutch inoperative and if such a failure were to occur during vehicle operation, could adversely affect braking distances and vehicle control. Correction: Aluminum clutch levers will be replaced.
A failure of this component (powertrain) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the battery cables and air lines may have been routed and clipped in such a way that downward movement of the transmission may cause the transmission rear support spring to pinch the battery cables and brake air lines. This could rupture the air lines causing loss of air and decreased vehicle braking or damage the battery cables insulation causing a short circuit and risk of fire. Correction: The routing of the air lines and battery cables will be checked and rerouted if required. Any damaged air lines or battery cables will be replaced.
A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the throttle return springs may fail during normal operation without prior warning. If both springs fail, the engine throttle may not return to the idle position when the throttle foot pedal is released. This could result in loss of vehicle control and a possible crash. Correction: Throttle return springs will be replaced.
A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
Certain trucks could experience fatigue cracking of the axle beam which in turn could result in complete rupture of the forged centre section of the beam. A beam failure could result in loss of vehicle control and a crash without prior warning. Correction: axle beams will be replaced on affected vehicles.
A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the throttle cable may fail in service due to vibrational fatigue between the cable end sleeve and hub. Such a failure could result in possible loss of vehicle control and a crash without prior warning. Correction: Throttle cable will be replaced.
A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the drag link may weaken as the result of contact with the steering box in a hard left hand turn with full compression of the front springs. This could result in loss of steering control and a possible vehicle crash. Correction: Drag link will be replaced with one of a new design.
A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the seatbelt assembly may go into a non-lock mode if the seat cushion presses against the retractor neck with sufficient pressure to cause the komfort-lok feature to over-ride the free movement of the retractor clutch. This would result in the seat belt being ineffective in the event of a sudden stop or a vehicle crash. Correction: A spacer will be insalled between the seat belt reatractor and its mounting on the seat.
A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, internal failure of the TRW ROSS TAS65 steering gear mechanism can occur such that the gear binds and/or is unable to transmit torque between the input and output shaft. This could result in complete loss of steering control and a possible vehicle crash. Correction: Steering box will be replaced.
A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks equipped with an Eaton model EFA-12, 13,200 pound, front steering axle, the steering arms could develop fatigue cracks. Thus there is a possibility of steering arm failure with loss of vehicle steering control. Correction: Suspect steering arms will be replaced.
A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
Certain vehicles are equipped with stainless steel wrapped mufflers mounted vertically behind the cab with grabhandles attached to them for cab access. Persons using the grabhandles for support while entering or exiting the cab would receive severe burns if their hand or arm came in contact with a hot muffler. Correction: Heat shields will be added to the mufflers.
A failure of this component (other) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
On certain trucks, the Cummins 1988NT engines may have been assembled with potentially defective oil cooler gaskets. During high load/high temperature operation, loss of lubricating oil may occur rapidly and may lead to fire from oil being sprayed onto hot exhaust parts. Correction: gaskets will be replaced with improved steel core gaskets.
A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
Certain trucks may have throttle return springs that could fail during normal operation without prior warning. If both springs fail, the engine throttle may not return to the idle position when the throttle foot pedal is released. This could result in loss of vehicle control and a possible vehicle crash. Correction: throttle return springs will be replaced.
A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).
Official Transport Canada safety campaigns, Canadian motor vehicle safety compliance standards and live VIN specifications.
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