How do I determine if my Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Automotive jack stand has been recalled? Harbor Freight has determined that the problem with the Pittsburgh Automotive jack stands was that the company in China was using aging tooling and equipment. The Pittsburgh Automotive jack stands were not actually manufactured by Harbor Freight but were sourced from a Chinese company called Jiaxing Golden Roc Tools Co., Ltd. Pittsburgh Automotive Branded Jack Stands Sold by Harbor Freight Tied to Chinese Manufacturing Errors According to the Harbor Freight website, they are in the process of evaluating the other product lines to determine if they are also defective but are “delayed by work restrictions caused by COVID-19”. Harbor Freight also sells other jack stands made by other manufacturers. In addition, a defective, suddenly collapsing jack stand can also cause an unfortunate death. This condition could cause serious injury for people near or under a lifted vehicle, and/or damage to property. More specifically, for certain units, the ratchet teeth on the jack stand lifting extension post may inconsistently engage the pawl to a sufficient depth. It feels a lot less like overkill now.Īnd if you're in the market for a new set of jack stands, why not consider one of these? They are all from reputable manufacturers the Hein-Werner stands are of the typical design, the Torin stands add an additional locking feature and the ESCO stands, while of a somewhat different design, lock in lift height via pin, so there's no ratchet teeth or pawl at all.The Harbor Freight recall announcement said that there is a potential, while under load and with a shift in weight, for the pawl to disengage from the extension lifting post, allowing the stand to drop suddenly, with the potential to injure or crush a person under the lifted car or truck. The point is to not have your torso or head be the highest point underneath the car should it come off the stands. So in addition to multiple jack stands, I'll often shove a spare wheel and tire under the car for an added safety margin. But given that I'm usually alone in the garage, I'm especially paranoid about the big, lumbering vehicles I own crushing me while I work (and this recall isn't helping). You already know that you should never rely on a hydraulic jack to support your car while you're working on it-that's why these jack stands exist in the first place. This is a good time to recall the basics of jack stand safety. Now Is a Perfect Time to Organize Your Toolbox.Unless stated otherwise on the box or label, there’s a very good chance they, like Harbor Freight’s, came from a supplier in China. The design of these simple, rugged jack stands is ubiquitous the same basic stand type is produced by a number of manufacturers (in fact, Harbor Freight’s stands come from several sources, not all of which are impacted by the recall) and sold at just about every hardware and auto parts store in America. A pawl assembly built into the metal base engages with the teeth on the post, permitting height adjustability. These stands consist of a stamped metal four-leg base, into which slides a vertical, toothed lift post. Taking all models and part numbers together, roughly 1.7 million stands are covered by this recall. While the company believes only some of the more recently produced stands are affected, it is recalling all stands with those part numbers to be sure. In this case, stands produced by China’s Jiaxing Golden Roc Tools Co., Ltd are potentially defective that’s why it’s important to check the part numbers, not just the models. Harbor Freight sells jack stands made by a variety of manufacturers, which may be visually similar. Pittsburgh Automotive 3 ton heavy duty steel jack stands, part No. Pittsburgh Automotive 6 ton heavy duty steel jack stands, part No. No matter which makes, models or eras of cars you wrench on, there’s a very, very good chance that you (or a friend) have a pair of these kicking around your garage, and you probably don’t give them a second thought.Īs detailed in two safety reports filed in March and May of this year, here are the models affected by the recall: Given Harbor Freight's reach, this is like the Takata airbag recall of the DIY world. Certain models may fail suddenly and without warning, leading to injury or death. A jack stand is one of the most basic, but one of the most important, bits of safety gear in a DIY-er’s garage unless you have the luxury of a lift, they’re often the only things preventing you from getting squished like a bug under that rusty heap you call a project car.Īnd if you have, or even suspect that you have, jack stands purchased from popular budget hardware-supplier Harbor Freight, you’re going to want to head out and take a look at them as soon as possible.
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