Recall 02V133000 scope
Recall 02V133000
NORTH JERSEY WHITE-AUTOCAR, INC. • TRAILER HITCHES • reported May 9, 2002 • • 870 units affected
View official record on NHTSA.gov · federal source of truth
- Campaign
- 02V133000
- Manufacturer
- NORTH JERSEY WHITE-AUTOCAR, INC.
- Component
- TRAILER HITCHES
- Make
- PEERLESS
- Model Years
- 1998–2000
- Affected Units
- 870
- Country
- US
- Data As Of
- Apr 5, 2026
What this recall is about, in plain English
ON CERTAIN TRAILERS, CRACKS CAN DEVELOP IN THE CHANNEL SUPPORTS OF THE KING PIN ASSEMBLY. IF CRACKS FORM AND ARE NOT DETECTED, THEY CAN GROW LARGER AND EVENTUALLY LEAD TO FRACTURE OF THE CHANNEL SUPPORTS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CHANNEL STYLE KING PIN ASSEMBLY WITH AN I-BEAM STYLE KING PIN ASSEMBLY.
Synthesized from the NHTSA defect summary, consequence, and remedy fields shown below.
This recall describes a safety risk and the remedy is still pending. Affected vehicles should be parked or driven only as needed until the manufacturer issues guidance. Always verify directly with the manufacturer or your dealer using the campaign number.
Risk Summary (Consequence)
IF CRACKS FORM AND ARE NOT DETECTED, THEY CAN GROW LARGER AND EVENTUALLY LEAD TO FRACTURE OF THE CHANNEL SUPPORTS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Defect Summary
ON CERTAIN TRAILERS, CRACKS CAN DEVELOP IN THE CHANNEL SUPPORTS OF THE KING PIN ASSEMBLY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CHANNEL STYLE KING PIN ASSEMBLY WITH AN I-BEAM STYLE KING PIN ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 4, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT PEERLESS AT 1-870-236-7753.
Key Dates
Affected Vehicles
3 vehicles under this recall
Official Sources & Documents
Links to NHTSA.gov and Part 573 recall reports when available — hosted by NHTSA, not TruckCodex
Documents hosted on nhtsa.gov. Links open in a new tab.
How to Act on This Recall
- Owners: Contact your authorized dealer to schedule the remedy at no cost. Remedy is covered under 49 U.S.C. 30120.
- Fleets: See the Fleet Recall Workflow Guide for the operator workflow to sweep your VIN list against this and other open campaigns.
- Looking up a specific VIN? Check VIN against NHTSA for open recalls on that vehicle.
- NHTSA contact: Vehicle Safety Hotline 1-888-327-4236.
How to verify your vehicle is affected
- Find your VIN. Locate your 17-character Vehicle Identification Number on the lower-left corner of your windshield, on the driver's-door jamb sticker, or on your vehicle registration. The VIN is the only reliable way to confirm whether a specific vehicle falls under a recall — make/model/year alone is not enough.
- Check your VIN on this site. Enter the VIN at /vin/ to see every open recall tied to your specific vehicle, including 02V133000. Our lookup pulls directly from the NHTSA recall database and refreshes daily.
- Cross-reference with the official NHTSA recall search. For a second source of truth, run the same VIN through https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls. If both this site and NHTSA show the same campaign as open for your VIN, it applies — schedule the repair.
- Contact your dealer if affected. Bring the campaign number, your VIN, and your registration to an authorized dealer for the make. The dealer performs the remedy at no cost. If you've already paid for a related repair, bring the receipt — the manufacturer is required to reimburse pre-recall repairs that addressed the same defect.