Jack stand recall

Different part numbers normally mean different manufacturing plant. That's why one sku might be affected but not the others for the same item.

In reply to dean1484 :

I have two pairs in frequent use, swapping tires and wheels before and after every autocross. The toggles on the three ton HF ones appear to sit deeper into the slot than the other pair.

I have two sets. I use them for my wife's H2 and my truck. I actually got that specific number because they all matched. At the time they had two different ones that were very similar but the heights were different at the same setting. 
 

I spoke to a friend that works at HF and he is going to look in to this and get back to me about it. At the moment these are not listed as a recall item in the HF website. 

I took in four today and exchanged them without a receipt and without an official recall letter in hand, no hassles. We have another four to exchange, but they are currently in use and will have to be swapped out with the new ones, so maybe next week I will take those back.

It looks like we no racall for me, after all.

Just got a recall notice email about these. 3-ton stands are affected, too. HF is giving a gift card and 20% coupon, when you return them. 

I realize I'm paranoid, but I always try to have a failsafe, secondary support in place, in case the stand fails.  Either a mounted tire, a stack of lumber, a floor jack.  Something other than my body to catch the weight of the car.

So far, it has worked.

well i guess i have 4 of the 3ton ones to exchange

My stands are part number 38845, so I think I'm in the clear.

I have some autocraft jack stands from adavnce and they look identical.  Would not surprise me to find out they are made at the same place and private labeled afterwards.

Atleast the HF guys have confirmation.

1988RedT2 said:

I realize I'm paranoid, but I always try to have a failsafe, secondary support in place, in case the stand fails.  Either a mounted tire, a stack of lumber, a floor jack.  Something other than my body to catch the weight of the car.

So far, it has worked.

I do this too!  I had a car roll off ramps onto me once, no fun.

Scott

Well guess my 3 tons are going back then.

I also always minimally throw a wheel under the car behind the jackstand. It'll hurt like hell if the car comes down but probably won't kill me.

Ooo I should use that to justify moving to fatter wheels.

Wow, how did I not see this for a over a month.  I have 4 HF 3 ton stands (i'm a cheap bastard) and have been putting off some work/upgrades for over a month. Two are ~2 years old and subject to the recall.  2 are a little newer and not included in the recall.  The newer ones have a flatter perch.

I also  throw a few mounted wheels/tires under the car if I'm going to be underneath it for any extended period of itme.  I've actually been thinking about grabbing a few used jackstands on CL to set up as a failsafe (after seeing a news thread about someone who died during an earthquake).

Huh I have some of those but I recently upgrade because I felt like working under a car supported by Harbor Freight stuff was a bad idea...

I think two of mine might be subject to the recall.

But they have been proven good repeatedly holding up the gargantuan Suburban without problem (other than the asphalt under them giving up a bit).

I always hit the release with a hammer or other heavy tool once weight is on them but before removing the wheels or jack completely to make sure its engaged 

Interesting.  

I have a similar set to the recalled red ones, and I never trust them fully because of the stamped base. It just doesn't seem as sturdy as my other set with welded leg braces. Just like these:

There is nothing to keep the two ends from going their separate ways and becoming a flat piece of metal. I much prefer this:

with the shallow teeth seems to be like a bad casting tool or the tool is worn out and given their material choices in Chinesium I bet it was just wearing away until the point the tip was non functional (thats what she said) but in other terms... 

who's got a good alternative brand they recommend thats good for the price? I was on the fence about getting a set of 4 of these recently but I'm glad I held off for now. I opted for a non HF floor jack recently as I don't trust their stuff with people under it so I figured I'd go through my gear and update some things for the sake of safety margin. 

Related-not related, this had me rolling on the floor laughing, dude was asking if these fall under the recall. 

fidelity101 (Forum Supporter) said:

with the shallow teeth seems to be like a bad casting tool or the tool is worn out and given their material choices in Chinesium I bet it was just wearing away until the point the tip was non functional (thats what she said) but in other terms... 

 

who's got a good alternative brand they recommend thats good for the price? I was on the fence about getting a set of 4 of these recently but I'm glad I held off for now. I opted for a non HF floor jack recently as I don't trust their stuff with people under it so I figured I'd go through my gear and update some things for the sake of safety margin. 

My hein-warners have shallow teeth also. 

Definitely look through your inventory of jack stands more than once.  I saw the recall a while back, gave the garage a quick scan, did the mental scan of what I thought I have floating about the garage and shed, and thought I was good to go.

Both my dad and my wife sent me texts about the recall this week, so I did a second pass and sure enough I have a set of the 3-ton stands in the recall.  I honestly did not think I had any 3-ton stands, but I guess I bought them at some point??

Anyways, check a second time, you might have a set or two and not realize it.

Apparently the Jackstand recall is being extended to include SKU 56373. 

Even more surprising is the fact HF will exchange any of their jack stands for cash value, for customers who may be uneasy. Frankly, the way they've handled this catastrophe has been pretty good IMHO.   I can only imagine if the same issue occurred with some fly-by-night retailer online...imagine the hassle of trying to exchange jack stands through the mail.

To the Harbor Freight Community: I'm writing to apologize. I often reach out to tell you about Harbor Freight's commitment to quality and all the investments we've made to deliver quality tools at the lowest prices. Your trust matters deeply to me and I'm proud of how far we've come. So when we have a product recall, it hurts. A few months ago, we recalled our Pittsburgh 3 ton and 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56371, 61196 and 61197) due to a manufacturer's defect. We asked customers to return them and receive a gift card that could be used to purchase replacement jack stands. I felt terrible about that recall because you should never have a concern about the safety of any of our products. Today, I feel even worse. I'm disappointed and embarrassed because we've identified a welding defect in a small number of the Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKU 56373) that replaced the recalled jack stands. We're now adding these jack stands to our recall. Unfortunately, this defect wasn't discovered during the initial recall investigation. If you own these jack stands or any of the jack stands in our original recall, whether or not you have had an issue with them, please stop using them immediately and bring them back to your local Harbor Freight Store for a full cash refund or store credit (see details here). We have investigated all of our other Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56371, 56372 and 57308) as well as the Pittsburgh 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56368, 56369 and 56370) and Pittsburgh 12 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56374 and 56375) and did not find the defect. Although none of these other jack stands are being recalled, if you own any of them and have any concern whatsoever, please bring them back and we'll give you a full cash refund or store credit for those as well. I want to apologize to all of our customers. While we've dramatically grown our team of engineers and inspectors, and intensified our tests and inspections, I assure you that the lessons learned from this will drive further improvement. As the owner and founder of Harbor Freight, I want you to know that we stand behind every product we sell and that safety will always be our top priority. Sincerely, Eric Smidt Owner and Founder Harbor Freight Tools

The sku of the new ones is on the black warning label as an FYI. It used to be on the larger decals. Mine happen to be listed as non-issue but it still makes me afraid to use them. It's always a non-issue until it's an issue...

I see Hondavan noted that more jack stands are getting recalled, but it looks like it's getting even bigger.

There are more SKU numbers, link here.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) :

Not all of those are being recalled; as the letter from the CEO describes, they are now willing to refund cash to anyone who brings in a HF jack stand that they are not comfortable with (whether it is being recalled or not). So that is just telling you what you can get back for any given HF stand you bring in.

We have investigated all of our other Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56371, 56372 and 57308) as well as the Pittsburgh 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56368, 56369 and 56370) and Pittsburgh 12 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56374 and 56375) and did not find the defect. Although none of these other jack stands are being recalled, if you own any of them and have any concern whatsoever, please bring them back and we'll give you a full cash refund or store credit for those as well.