This year, Harbor Freight Tools issued a recall for more than 1.7 million six and three-ton heavy-duty steel jack stands because they may buckle or collapse when lifting a load. Harbor Freight Tools is advising everyone who uses these jacks to discontinue use immediately for safety reasons. Harbor Freight Tools is offering a 100% refund for all affected customers.
Jack Stand Recall:
The jacks are used to lift heavy loads in the automotive industry and are typically used by car dealerships, mechanics, trucking, and shipping. There are currently two recalls. The first recall affects jacks manufactured from 2013 to 2019, totaling about 454,000 units. The other recall affects 1.254 million manufactured from 2012 to 2020.
According to Harbor Freight Tools, the buckling source is a defect due to aging production tooling. The affected jacks might disengage the support pawl when carrying a load, which could cause the jack to drop, suddenly resulting in severe injury. Anyone who has more questions can contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline for more information.
Defective Products
Victims injured by a defective product can sue any company or person in the supply chain who brought the item to market. If a person was injured using one of these recalled jacks, the plaintiff can sue (1) Harbor Freight for manufacturing it, (2) Home Depot for selling it, (3) the train and shipping companies for shipping it, and (4) any manufactures or suppliers who provided parts or expertise to Harbor Freight for making the product.
The plaintiff can sue all of these companies because it isn’t always immediately clear which company was responsible for the defect. It could be a defect in manufacture or design, or it could be damage that was incurred during transportation. The cause could also be a failure to include adequate warnings by the seller. Accordingly, products liability law, rather than putting the burden on plaintiffs, places companies’ burden to prove that they were not responsible. Therefore, the plaintiff can recover damages for injuries, and the companies fight amongst themselves to allocate ultimate responsibility.
However, since this particular product is subject to a recall, any injuries stemming from using either the three- or six-ton jack can be readily attributed to Harbor Freight Tools.