Hearth Record

Trailer hitches: fifth wheel assembly (American Steel)

Vehicle equipment recall 87E-037. NHTSA received AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES’s report on Dec 14, 1987.

NHTSA’s own record, on nhtsa.gov

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The short answer

NHTSA received AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES’s report on Dec 14, 1987. Copied from NHTSA on Oct 20, 2026.

Every line below is in NHTSA’s own words, with its source beside it.

What’s wrong with it?

INADEQUATE METAL HARDNESS COULD RESULT IN HITCH PIN CLIPFAILURE AND POSSIBLE RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE TRACTOR FROM TRAILER.

THE BRACKET PIN COTTER KEY ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FIFTH WHEEL AND THE MOUNTING BRACKET ON TRUCK FRAME WAS REPLACED WITH A HITCH PIN CLIP.

THIS CLIP WAS FOUND TO BE OF INADEQUATE METAL HARDNESS.

Source:

NHTSA, Recalls flat file before 2010. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.

  • NHTSA’s part: Trailer hitches: fifth wheel assembly.

What should you do?

THE HITCH PIN CLIP WILL BE REPLACED WITH AN IMPROVED CLINCH PIN.

Source:

NHTSA, Recalls flat file before 2010. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.

  • How to reach the firm: SYSTEM: FIFTH WHEELVEHICLE CATEGORY: TRACTORS

Which ones are recalled?

NHTSA counts 5,579 items potentially involved, across everything this recall names.

Source:

NHTSA, Recalls flat file before 2010. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.

  • American Steel American SteelBuilt from Feb 1, 1987 to Aug 1, 1987

Who is recalling it?

  • Made by AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES.
Source:

NHTSA, Recalls flat file before 2010. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.

What the record doesn’t say

  • NHTSA’s recall file doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt.
  • Which ones, by part or lot: the recall’s report on NHTSA’s site gives them where the maker did; this file gives part numbers only where its maker listed them.
  • How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Source:

Hearth Record wrote these lines.

Sources

Source:

Vehicle, car seat, tire and vehicle equipment recalls, owner complaints and crash ratings are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Copied on Oct 20, 2026.

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.

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Who published it, when, and how often it changes sit beside each fact, with a link to the agency’s own file.

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