Complaint 2220329

Complaint Summary

TRAILER HITCHES

Owner Narrative

We purchased a Rhino USA Adjustable Trailer Hitch with locking hitch pins on Amazon. On its very first use, while towing our empty 1,600-pound Forester camper, the steel pin fractured where it enters the locking head. We heard the pin snap while making a slow turn about a quarter mile from our home. The locking head detached and was later found on the roadway. Fortunately, the pin remained in the receiver long enough for us to get home, but this could easily have resulted in the ball mount sliding out of the receiver and a trailer separation. We have retained both pieces of the failed pin and have photographs. Because the locking head detached and was found on the roadway, while the remaining pin stayed in the receiver only by chance, this failure had the potential to allow the ball mount to exit the receiver during travel which could be deadly to those on the highway. We have reported this to the manufacturer, but have not heard from them yet.

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