Interpretation ID: aiam1755
Engineering Department
American Trailers
Incorporated
1500 Exchange Avenue
Box 26568
Oklahoma City
OK 73126;
Dear Mr. Zajic: This is in acknowledgment of your Defect Information Report i accordance with the defect reporting regulations, Part 573.; The Defect Information Report involves: 25 Aluminum Grain Hoppe Doubles trailers. Possibility that the lower side rail in the area of the upper coupler assembly may develop fatigue cracks. This information was furnished in your letter of January 10, 1975.; The following National Highway Traffic Safety Administratio identification number has been assigned to the campaign *75-0009*. The first quarterly status report for this campaign is required to be submitted by May 5, 1975. Please refer to the above number in all future correspondence concerning this campaign.; On December 26, 1974, an amendment to the National Traffic and Moto Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (the Act) became effective. This amendment, among other provisions, modifies the content of the required owner notification and also changes some of the associated procedures. Since your owner notification letter was mailed after this date, section 153 of the amended Act should have been followed. Your letter should have referred to a specific date as the earliest date on which the defect will be remedied without charge (section 153(a)(5). Because remedy without charge is contingent upon actual dates, we believe the inclusion of a specific date is preferable to the statement in your letter. The date stated should be the earliest date on which parts and facilities can reasonably be expected to be available, and may be the same, an earlier, or a later date than the date of your letter. You must also include information that is responsive to section 153(a)(6) of the Act. As the procedures referred to in that section have not been published, it is sufficient if you advise owners that they may write to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D. C. 20590, if they find American Trailers to have failed or to have been unable to perform the repair satisfactorily.; It is therefore necessary that you send a revised notification lette by first class mail to the registered owners of those trailers which have not yet been corrected. A copy of your revised notification letter should be sent to this office (unless a 100 percent completion rate makes this unnecessary).; A copy of the Act including the 1974 amendment is enclosed. If yo desire further information, please contact Messrs. W. Reinhart or James Murray of this office at (202) 426- 2840.; Sincerely, Andrew G. Detrick, Director, Office of Defect Investigation, Motor Vehicle Programs;