Complaint 1693033

Complaint Summary

SERVICE BRAKES

Owner Narrative

UNIT DRIVING DOWN ROAD AND BRAKE CHAMBER FAILED CAUSING BRAKES TO SLOWLY APPLY WITHOUT OPERATOR BEING AWARE UNTIL SEEN SMOKE COMING FROM DRIVE AXLE BRAKES. THE LOW AIR PRESSURE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE, STAYED HIGH ENOUGH NOT TO ILLUMINATE A LOW AIR WARNING. 2 INDEPENDENT FIRE INSPECTIONS PROVED THIS WAS A HALDEX BRAKE CHAMBER FAILURE. THE CHAMBER WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND IT IS IN THE RANGE WHERE HALDEX HAD MANUFACTURING DEFECTS OF THE POWER COIL IN THE PARKING CHAMBER, HALDEX CONFIRMED THEY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE 3030 CHAMBER, AND NOT ISSUING A RECALL EVEN THOUGH PUBLIC SAFETY AS RISK. SPRING BRAKE BROKE AND PUNCTURED THE RUBBER DIAPHRAGM CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND CAUSING ANOTHER TOTAL LOSS OF TRUCK AND TRAILER. ENTIRE INTERSTATE HAD TO BE SHUTDOWN FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. CAUSING MORE RISK TO PUBLIC SAFETY THE HALDEX CHAMBER HAS A FATAL DESIGN FLAW THAT HALDEX HAS ADMITTED TO AND CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF BRAKING AND BRAKE FIRES, CAUSING TIRE EXPLOSIONS AND CARGO EXPLOSIONS, WHEN THE SPRING COMPRESSES THE POWER COAT PROTECTIVE COATING IS DAMAGED AND CAUSES THE POWER SPRING TO RUST THIS RUST THEN CAUSES THE SPRING TO BRAKE AND PUNCTURE THE INTERNAL DIAPHRAM OF THE CHAMBER. HALDEX IS ALSO AWARE THAT THE METAL USED IN MAKING THE SPRING CANNOT HANDLE THE PRESSURE FORCED UPON IT WITHOUT BREAKING EITHER BY TOOLING CAUSING MARKS AND FATIGUE IN THE METAL ITSELF. NHTSA HAS ALSO DONE ITS TESTING AND CONFIRMED ALL OF THESE FINDING AS WELL.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.