Depending on when it was manufactured and the specific model, jack stands might beweight rated individually or as a pair. But first, let's take a look at the issues facing those particular Harbor Freight jack stands so you have an idea of why this is all so troubling. Has this happened to anyone else? Hahaha getting fired for returning a tool what a BS. This store had 3 ton only and very limited stock. Once the vehicle is chocked, the jack is located safely, and the vehicle is lifted, it's time to place the jack stands at the indicated points. Odds are good that you or someone you know has a set of these lurking in the garage. I purchased some other jack stands that utilize a locking pin, they are impossible to drop by accident like these HF stands. The July 2020 recall affects more than 450,000 Pittsburgh Automotive 6 Ton Heavy Duty Steel Jack Stands according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Update: More apparent trouble with Harbor Freight jack stands, according to the owner of a replacement set for his recalled units, as reported byThe Drive. A bump or a knock could cause the pawl to disengage, dropping the vehicle suddenly. It could save your life. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Don't make assumptions; consult the manual. Some vehicles can be lifted by the axle or differential, but this could also damage other vehicles. Seems clear to me. Harbor Freight toldThe Drive that the company is investigating the issue. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new), and covers them for CNET Cars as its news & features editor. The agency also said it has received reports of injuries due to the defect. The larger paint mark means the pawl grabbed a lot more of the tooth. Chocks are simple wedge-like devices that prevent the vehicle from rolling. the PDF of the recall document here for more details. It's not a bad idea to place a third jack stand, the floor jack, or even a tire underneath in a convenient spot to help protect you if the worst happens. Make sure to set the parking brake, and put the vehicle in "park" or in gear to help ensure it won't roll as you lift up one end. Check your specific jack stands' manual or label to confirm the weight rating to make sure that you've actually got the right equipment to support your vehicle. I returned a non-recalled model without a receipt, but they were able to look it up by my phone number and gave me store credit. This drops the jack stand to the lowest position, possibly injuring anyone underneath. A second recall filed May 3(PDF) extended the recall to three-ton jack stands. If you have these stands, Harbor Freight is giving consumers who bought these stands a store gift card equal to the retail price at the time the stands were purchased. 719 S Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Mo-Fr: 8AM - 5PM. Manager said the models in black must be returned with a receipt within the standard return window like every other product. Call corporate. Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacfic Northwest, but has called Los Angeles home for the past decade. But the best option is a hard, level surface. Is there an actual problem with those jack stands? According to the 2019 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) Data Highlights, there were an estimated 16,433 injuries related to hoists, lifts, and jacks. See the mark on the pawl below: There's only a sliver of paint transferred onto the tooth, a graphic illustration of how little holding power this particular set of recalled jack stands can muster. Try to use high-quality equipment from a reputable manufacturer. There are products called jack stabilizer pads that can be used to support a jack or jack stand. Quality vehicle ramps are also a safe, sturdy, and less expensive alternative for raising two or four wheels off the ground for certain repairs, and they're fast and convenient when used properly. The affected Pittsburgh-brand three- and six-ton jack stands were in production for six years, and span three separate model numbers. In a pinch, a sturdy block of wood or a brick can be used, provided you ensure it's enough to prevent the vehicle from rolling. According to an article in the USA Today, the recall notice that is posted on the retailers website says this sudden drop can cause serious injury for people near or under a lifted vehicle. Our attorneys are available, either by telephone or video conference, to answer your questions. We've heard of tragic instances where a person, pinned by a vehicle, would have survived if help came in time. I hate that some hf managers go on power trips when we are always told to do right for the customer. A sturdy piece of wood can also be used in a pinch. Round up rather than down. If you have his name a simple email to corporate with his name will straighten him out. Now, also per The Drive, Harbor Freight is recalling some three-ton jack stands that some customers purchased as replacements for the previously recalled items. Harbor Freight Heavy Duty Steel Jack Stands | Grand Rapids Product Liability Lawyers. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship. One of them only worked for like 2 days. You'll need a jack and at least two jack stands to work under your vehicle. Report: NFL May Ask Fans to Sign Liability Waivers to Attend Games amid Pandemic, NFL Teams Preparing for Ticket-Focused Headaches. Lastly, check the lifting dimensionswill the jack lift enough to get the jack stands underneath? Make sure no one is under the vehicle, and it won't contact anything coming down. Could've gave a gift card at the very least. The terrifying Harbor Freight recall of jack stands that could fail due to a manufacturing defect is in the news right now, and it is as good a time as any to review the procedures and equipment we're all using to lift our cars. ; Wayne County including Detroit; Oakland County including Southfield; Barry County including Hastings; Cheboygan County including Cheboygan; Muskegon County including Muskegon and Norton Shores; Suffolk County including Boston; Norfolk County including Canton; Los Angeles County including Los Angeles; Orange County including Huntington Beach; and New York City including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Get out, or better yet, don't get under in the first place. As the vehicle settles, make sure the jack stands stay vertical and make good contact with the jack points. These models appear on the following harbor freight web page stating they can be returned without a receipt at the customers discretion, even though they were not recalled: https://www.harborfreight.com/js-details. You can find these numbers(PDF) on the label on the top part of the stand on three-ton units, or a yellow sticker on the base on six-ton units. Harbor Freight's recall covers some 3-ton and 6-ton "Pittsburgh" brand jack stands with item numbers 56371, 61196, and 61197. I don't understand why this manager was so scared of losing his job over a return like this where the policy is clearly spelled out on the company website. It doesn't take long to ensure you've got an escape path, or much additional equipment to give create a back-up support, so there's no reason why you can't incorporate these potential live-savers into your regular vehicle lifting routine. Regardless of what you'll be lifting or supporting the vehicle with, check the condition of all of them. Lose his job by attempting a return? To me as a supervisor whose been there for some years, this aggravates me. Likewise, make sure your lifting device is up to the job. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety recall report, Harbor Freight will notify the owners about the recall notice. Make sure they're set to the same height on both sides. They applied some paint to the pawl of a unit in question and let it transfer onto the teeth of the jack stand, which gives a sense of exactly how little the pawl is meshing with the teeth. We don't recommend using the jack that came with your vehicle, usually a scissor or bottle jack, for regular maintenance. Press J to jump to the feed. It's also not a bad idea to let someone know you'll be under the car, or have a phone handy. With nearly 2 million units in question, the odds are good that you or someone you know owns a set of these, so please go and check them now and urge your family and friends to do so, too. This failure may cause a sudden drop, increasing the risk of injury to persons nearby or under any lifted vehicle. I mean, if that were really the case maybe it would be time to find a different job. They're emergency items for occasional use, like changing a tire on the side of the road. Said he might lose his job just by attempting the return. She has also been overly satisfied with this firm. There's a huge problem if they have a defective product that they aren't taking back. Make using chocks a habit no matter which end you're lifting. In May of 2020, the company recalled 1.2 million Pittsburgh Automotive 3 Ton Heavy Duty Steel Jack Stands because the products ratchet teeth may not sufficiently engage the pall to a sufficient depth, potentially causing it to fail under load. If your vehicle weighs 5,500 pounds, choose 3-ton jack stands (or more) rather than 2-ton. I would never wish any type of serious injury on anyone, but to be realistic data reveals that defective jacks can lead to all kinds of injuries from amputations, disfigurements and unfortunately death. In many circumstances, these might be safer and quicker alternatives to the floor jack and jack stand method, provided you're not working on projects that require the wheels to come off. He did not answer. How are you going to protect yourself, and how are you going to get out from under the vehicle? Like you said you "take care of the customer". Apparently, the units that fall under the new recall also suffer from inadequate welds that can fail. Working underneath a lifted car is inherently extremely dangerous, and it's easy to be cavalier or place too much trust in equipment that might not deserve it. Our attorneys remain committed to providing our existing clients uninterrupted legal services, as well as evaluating new claims. If we have fraudulent returns, yeah. Call another store that's close and ask for the district managers # . A design flaw caused by old tooling in the factory that constructed them could cause the pawl to disengage, letting the jack (and the vehicle on top of it) suddenly and unexpectedly drop. Manager did not think so. Before starting, make sure you've got the right equipment for the job. I showed a cashier the Instagram post where the CEO states that they will accept any jack stand return and it wasnt a problem for me. The web page seems very clear that any of the listed models can be returned without a receipt. Determine your vehicle's curb weight (it's generally in the owner's manual) and pick jack stands with a similar rating. I totally agree. The company is specifically recalling 1.7 million units with model numbers 56371, 61196 and 61197. This isn't always possible, especially for a tire change. If the jack points are damaged or you can't locate one, don't lift the vehicle and consult your dealer or trusted mechanic. Examine your jack standswhether the pawl, pin, or screw type. Ended up having to pack them back in the car and take them home because the store manager would not even scan them to see if they could be returned. Or if we're idiot's and we keep taking back returns for stuff we definitely shouldn't (things outside of the return period without replacement plans), then maybebut that manager was just wrong. filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If any of this equipment is bent, damaged, or appears questionable, don't use it. Have they released the 6 ton replacements yet? The information is necessary for a conflict-of-interest check that we must perform prior to responding to you. It's the latter of those two that has come back to bite us in the ass, however, because Harbor Freight is now recalling its Pittsburgh-brand six-ton jack stands over risks that they could collapse during use, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF) from March 20, a dangerous fault first reported on by The Drive on May 19. Explain what happened and always be courteous and polite that will go a long way into getting resolution. Make sure you check the number before you use them again, and tell everyone you know. He's being a lazy dickbag. Your life isn't worth taking a shortcut or using questionable equipment. A sub-reddit dedicated to Harbor Freight and reviewing their tools. I'm an employee at hf and that's bs he didn't take it back. With all this data and injury stories we see it is important to follow instructions and guidelines on these products and to check for any correspondence or notices from retailers and manufactures for recalls of any product. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. We serve clients throughout Michigan, Massachusetts, California, and New York, including, but not limited to, the following localities: Grand Traverse County including Traverse City; Kent County including Ada, Cutlerville, Forest Hills, Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Rockford, Walker, and Wyoming, Harbor Freight Heavy Duty Steel Jack Stands. Dedicated to serving your needs. First of all, basically no one is ever going to lose their job over a return. Consult the owner's manual to determine how to lift. Helpful staff who is always there for you. Slowly release the jack to settle the vehicle onto the jack stands. If you need to lift both ends of the vehicle, there are other devices, such as the QuickJack hydraulic scissor jack (shown above), that are a safer (albeit more expensive) solution. See below: If you have jack stands from Harbor Freight, please take a minute before reading on to see if they're affected by the recall. It shouldn't rock and the jack stands shouldn't shift. If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled Harbor Freight jack stand, you should contact the experienced dangerous product attorneys at Neumann Law Group for a free consultation. The truth is, despite their cheapness, most of the stuff from Harbor Freight is fine. This is dramatically illustrated by a few photos from a Reddit user, who shared it with us anonymously and we're reprinting here with permission. 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Ensure the jack stands are vertical and not resting on any debris. Did they try to look up the purchase by your phone number? This information is strictly confidential and will not be shared with anyone. Harbor freights are not like Walmarts, some are hours apart. Customers can verify which jack stands fall under the expanded recall here. If it doesn't feel solid and secure, double-check your setup and perhaps jack the car back up to reset everything.