Author Topic: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall  (Read 4012 times)

GM

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Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« on: May 20, 2020, 04:24:30 »
Hi all,
Saw this today - Harbor Freight Jack Stands Recalled For Risk of Collapsing - spread the word
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/amp32600586/harbor-freight-jack-stands-recalled-for-risk-of-collapsing/
Stay safe
Gary
1971 280SL - Sold
(98 from the end of production)
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Black MB Tex

mdsalemi

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2020, 14:20:34 »
Thanks for this. Thankfully my 3-ton units are #38846. They were not branded as "Pittsburgh" either...

Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
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Pawel66

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2020, 15:22:17 »
This looks serious.

The question I would have if this brand/type of stands is particular company production under given brand name for particular retailer, or is it a generic China production offered across the world under various names to various retailers....
Pawel

280SL 1970 automatic 180G Silver
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Chris Long

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2020, 15:54:21 »
Curious too as mine are branded Torin but look identical.
1970 280sl 4-Speed Horizon Blue

badali

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2020, 16:47:19 »
I think any with this type of height lever could have similar problems.  I always place some 6"by 6" stacks of wood under the car jack points for extra safety.
Brad

1961 220 Sb
1966 230 SL (Sold)
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mdsalemi

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2020, 17:28:04 »
This looks serious...generic China production offered across the world under various names to various retailers....

Yes of course.
Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
2023 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid "Area 51"
2023 Ford Escape Hybrid
2024 Ford Mustang Mach Ex PEV

wayne R

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2020, 07:25:32 »
Im like  Brad have always used a secondry safety when lifting and holding cars,
So i went had a good look at my only have 2 jack stands that i purchased in USA,CA, years ago,
and when having a good close look, have a very similiar  build,although not a Pittsburgh
but a MVP prolift,---and guess where they are made,---in the trash next week.
Thank you Gary for showing us.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2020, 07:30:55 by wayne R »

Garry

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2020, 07:47:35 »
Friend of mine had one collapse under the front of his just finished E Type about two months ago.  Made a horrible mess of the underside of the newly painted  bonnet.
Garry Marks
Melbourne/ Kyneton, Brisbane. Australia
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Vander

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2020, 12:43:55 »
Thanks for sharing. I just went out to my shop and noticed I have a heavy Adenauer completely off the ground supported by 4 of these (no issues yet!). I guess I need to get it back together so I can exchange the jackstands.
1969 280SL

JN

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2020, 13:13:24 »
For some reason I do not buy anything from Harbor Freight
Everything seems cheaply made there
So I stay away
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mdsalemi

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2020, 15:06:07 »
I guess I need to get it back together so I can exchange the jackstands.

No, just jack it up and put immovable wood blocks underneath. Get rid of the jacks.

Quite curiously, since that news broke about the recall, I've received a number of texts and emails from Harbor Freight (the pitbull of tool sellers) with nary a mention of the recall.
Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
2023 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid "Area 51"
2023 Ford Escape Hybrid
2024 Ford Mustang Mach Ex PEV

su8pack1

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2020, 14:30:03 »
I have always used blocks of wood or slid the tire underneath as a backup.
1969 280SL
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scoot

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2020, 15:39:49 »
Unfortunately I have SIX Pittsburgh jack stands from Harbor Freight and the stickers are worn off all of them.  Not sure what to do...
I dislike Harbor Freight and in general, only buy things there that I plan to use once and if they break on first try I return them.  Jack stands were an exception...  Oh well.
Scott Allen
'67 250 SL (early)
Altadena, California

mdsalemi

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Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2020, 22:06:06 »
Unfortunately I have SIX Pittsburgh jack stands from Harbor Freight and the stickers are worn off all of them.  Not sure what to do...
I dislike Harbor Freight and in general, only buy things there that I plan to use once and if they break on first try I return them.  Jack stands were an exception...  Oh well.

When in doubt, bring them back. If they give you issues, leave them there and buy new ones elsewhere.

Make fun of them if you will but there are a LOT of very, very good tools and items there. Also, some very cheap for dirty use. I bought a $10 electric drill to use to mix grout and mortar because I didn't think I should use my $200 Bosch for such messy jobs. Lasted throughout the projects and I still have it. Bought a $350 10" tile/brick saw, used it for a number of projects, and sold it for $225. It was IDENTICAL to another model sold at a tile shop for 3x the price. When I owned a car wash I bought a rotary hammer for all the holes I had to drill in concrete. It was about $60. Any brand name rotary hammer was in the hundreds and since I wasn't a contractor I didn't need a Milwaukee or a Bosch. I have several pneumatic tools from them, that cost $12-$20 and they are as good as the Porter-Cable ones I also have. If I were using them every day, I might opt for better ones, but these are really just fine, and well made. I have a large number of quality tools, but I couldn't afford everything with the Bosch name on it for occasional use. I've had a few clunkers, mostly pliers and such...just toss them when they don't perform.
Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
2023 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid "Area 51"
2023 Ford Escape Hybrid
2024 Ford Mustang Mach Ex PEV

mdsalemi

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UPDATE this morning on the Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2020, 15:40:41 »
This just in: read to the bottom. If you have ANY Harbor Freight or their branded jack stands and you feel uncomfortable with them, bring them back.

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
Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
2023 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid "Area 51"
2023 Ford Escape Hybrid
2024 Ford Mustang Mach Ex PEV

scoot

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Re: UPDATE this morning on the Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2020, 15:45:05 »
This just in: read to the bottom. If you have ANY Harbor Freight or their branded jack stands and you feel uncomfortable with them, bring them back.
I actually DID bring all of mine back, with no receipts and no part numbers visible on the jack stands.  I didn't have any problems and now have a Harbor Freight gift card for $231.  I'm not sure what/when I'll buy something at Harbor Freight, but they did return the jack stands without incident...  This was in late May of this year.
Scott Allen
'67 250 SL (early)
Altadena, California