LISLE, Ill. -- Navistar International revealed during its analyst day that it has halted deliveries of all new trucks due to a faulty valve in Bendix braking systems.
Bendix has notified customers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that its ATR-6 valves manufactured between Dec. 2, 2010 and Jan. 18, 2012 could be faulty, possibly leading to intermittent or continuous brake application in cold weather. The problem can occur at temperatures below -18 C when internal leakage can potentially develop, resulting in pressure being delivered to the affected service brake circuit, Bendix indicated in a notice on its Web site. The company says between 50,000-60,000 Navistar, Volvo and Paccar trucks could be affected.
Jack Allen, president of the North America Truck Group for Navistar, told analysts the company has had to postpone new truck deliveries until the problem is fixed. And A.J. Cederoth, executive vice-president and chief financial officer, said the company will have to retrofit many of its existing trucks, the cost of which is not yet known.
Allen later told a small group of trade press journalists that the notification to investors was required because many of Navistar's deliveries scheduled for the first quarter will now be pushed back to the second quarter.
"It's an unfortunate deal," Allen told trucking journalists. "Bendix is a great company and they've been a good supplier for a long time."
He said Bendix has indicated it will begin shipping replacement valves later this month. In most cases, trucks can have the valve replaced during their next scheduled servicing.
Affected trucks operating in cold weather, however, should be serviced immediately, Bendix warns. A temporary remedy kit is immediately available, however it will prevent Bendix ESP and Bendix Wingman ACB safety systems from functioning until the permanent solution is applied.
In addition to Navistar, Volvo and Paccar trucks also received the affected part. In some cases, Canadian fleets have had to put newly purchased trucks out of service until the valve can be replaced.
Bendix says the issue was discovered during investigation of reports of intermittent brake applications occurring in mid-December. The company conducted an investigation and confirmed the defect. There have been no known injuries related to the defect.
Bendix advises customers to inspect their vehicles to determine whether an ATR-6 valve was installed and then to check the date code stamped into the valve to determine if it was part of the impacted population. Affected ATR-6 valves manufactured between Dec. 2, 2010 and Jan. 18, 2012 will display a code with: the first letter of 'M' and the last two numerical digits of '10'; the last two numerical digits of '11'; or the first letter of 'A' with the last two numerical digits of '12.'
For complete information about the affected part, check out the Bendix ATR-6 Valve Update posted on www.Bendix.com.