[Road & Track] Back in May, we wrote about a selection of Pittsburgh brand three- and six-ton jack stands recalled by Harbor Freight because of a manufacturing defect that could cause them to collapse under load, potentially causing injury or death. Customers were asked to return the stands in exchange for a gift card, and affected units were pulled from shelves. Now, Harbor Freight has had to announce a second recall, covering the new jack stands that many folks purchased to replace those covered by the initial recall.In a customer email sent today by Harbor Freight owner and founder Eric Smidt, the company revealed that a "small number" of the replacement Pittsburgh three-ton jacks stands suffer from a welding defect, and, like the original batch, could fail while supporting a vehicle. (The initial recall from May had to do with insufficient ratchet tooth engagement, attributed to excess wear in the dies used to manufacture the stands). Smidt says the welding defect wasn't discovered in the initial investigation, and the affected model (SKU 56373) has since been added to the list of recalled stands.
See the full letter from Harbor Freight owner and founder Eric Smidt below.
Smidt says the company has taken the time to investigate all of the other three- , six- and 12-ton Pittsburgh jack stands it currently sells, and hasn't found any further defects. However, if you own any of these Pittsburgh jack stands and no longer feel comfortable using them, the company will take them back in exchange for a refund or store credit—even though they aren't covered by the recall and have not been found to be defective. A full list of the Harbor Freight jack stand models eligible for a refund can be found here.
"I want to apologize to all of our customers," Smidt said in his email to 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."