I am reporting a serious highway safety defect involving an enclosed cargo trailer used in normal commercial highway operation. The trailer was purchased on 7/27/2022. On 2/16/2023, while traveling approximately 65 mph on the New York State Thruway, the wheel and hub assembly detached from the axle during highway travel. The trailer lost a wheel at highway speed, creating an immediate risk of loss of control, crash, and roadway hazard to surrounding motorists. The axle required full replacement. The trailer was...
Read the full complaint
not returned to service until 8/4/2023. In addition to the axle failure, the trailer experienced repeated structural weld failures. Rear ramp door welds required repair on 1/7/2023 and again on 9/24/2023. On 7/16/2024, the trailer experienced catastrophic structural failure, including separation of the side wall from the floor and failure of structural welds. The trailer became unsafe for continued highway use. The manufacturer supplied a replacement trailer, which was ready on 1/31/2025 and picked up on 3/23/2025. The replacement trailer also developed early structural failures within months of normal use, including: Man door hinge failure (May 2025) Ramp door upper and lower weld failures (January 2026) Ramp spring assist weld failures (January 2026) Side wall upper and lower structural separation (February 2026) The repeated occurrence of similar structural failures across two separate trailers suggests a potential manufacturing or design defect rather than isolated damage or misuse. These failures compromise the structural integrity of the trailer body and cargo containment during highway travel and present a significant safety risk to the public, including risk of cargo release, structural collapse, or crash hazard. I am submitting this complaint so that this recurring structural and axle defect can be reviewed for investigation to prevent similar dangerous failures involving trailers of this type. #supplied-1st unit [[redacted]] -2nd unit INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)