The problem
On certain heavy duty truck/tractors equipped with sears atlas series 35, 70, or 80 driver's seats, when the seats are in their lowest, most rearward adjusted position, they may chafe the seat belt tether that connects from the seat to the back of the cab.
The risk
This chafing may eventually cut through the tether, thus weakening the effectiveness of the seat belt assembly in a vehicle crash, possibly resulting in property damage, personal injury or death.
The fix
Dealers will inspect the vehicles for suspect seat codes and will replace the existing 12" seat tethers with new 13.5" Tethers. The recall began on october 7, 2005. Owners may contact international at 1-800-448-7825.
Contacts
International recall no. 05519. Customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.Safercar.Gov.
What to do
- Check your VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it shows whether this recall applies to your vehicle and whether the repair has been done.
- Call a dealer. Any authorized International dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 05V448000.
- Ask about parts and a loaner. If parts aren't available yet, ask what to do in the meantime.
- Keep your paperwork. If you paid for this repair before the recall, you may be able to get reimbursed - here's how.