Harbor Freight Jackstand Recall

Dave

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Harbor Freight is recalling over 1.7 million Pittsburgh-branded jack stands that can suddenly collapse due to a manufacturing flaw. It warned its customers that they need to stop using the defective stands immediately.

The recall campaign includes three- and six-ton stands wearing item numbers 56371, 61196 or 61197. The number is found on the label that's normally affixed to the top or the base of the stand depending on the model; it should be clearly legible. Harbor Freight told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it realized the tooling used to make the stands near Hangzhou, China, had become worn out due to age and was manufacturing inconsistent parts. As a result, the ratchet teeth might not be deep enough to hold the lifting extension in place if a shift in weight occurs, like when you're banging on a rusty brake drum with a mallet, and the stand could collapse without warning. That's bad news if you're under it, working on a 4,700-pound SUV.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/05/20/harbor-freight-jack-stands-recall/
 
Yikes! Thanks for posting that Dave. Made a copy and posted it on the locker room door for my techs!
 
Huh, who would have guessed a Harbor Freight jackstand was a bad idea? Or maybe, huh, something else from China trying to kill us. :stir
 
I had a six ton collapse while installing a flatbed on a cab and chassis in about 2005. Too early for this recall, but it could have been the same model.

I came away with a torn shirt and a couple bruises, but these days I don't trust jack stands alone anymore. I keep a pile of cut up 6x6 posts in the garage for cribbing, and in the field, I always put the wheel and tire underneath as it comes off.
 
I had a six ton collapse while installing a flatbed on a cab and chassis in about 2005. Too early for this recall, but it could have been the same model.

I came away with a torn shirt and a couple bruises, but these days I don't trust jack stands alone anymore. I keep a pile of cut up 6x6 posts in the garage for cribbing, and in the field, I always put the wheel and tire underneath as it comes off.

I still trust my old Craftsman jack stands but I always check them to make sure the pawl is securely in place before lowering the vehicle onto them. I use cribbing if I'm going to be doing something that requires me to push, pull or possibly shake the entire vehicle. Back when I first learned to change a tire I was always taught to put one under the vehicle as soon as it came off and to always keep all body parts clear of the vehicle and mindful of what may strike you if it did come down, i.e. the fenders and steps on an FJ-40 jut out from the body. I've run a couple of calls over the years where vehicles shifted or fell and caused injury and I know of a couple that caused fatalities (co-workers ran the calls).
 
Since I am not the biggest fan of jack stands for extended periods because of our potential for earthquakes (live in SoCal), I have found I will jack up the vehicle and put it on my car ramps. If I am only working on one end of the car, I'll use one set but if going to work underneath the whole thing, I will use two sets. Only time I am using jack stands is if doing wheel/brake/suspension work. In those cases I will typically slide the wheel under the rig and I don't get under it.
 
Some years ago, while installing a lift on my wife's Ramcharger, I had the wheels off & the rear on Craftsman jackstands. I was removing the u-bolts/nuts with an impact. I climbed out to wash up & grab lunch & BAM! The right rear crashed to the ground. Turns out, the pawl broke off!
Sears didn't honor the warranty as they were 15 months old.
 
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