Improperly Secured Electrical Wires May Cause Fire

Affected vehicles (4)

Component / system

Defect

Alamo Group Inc. (Morbark) is recalling certain Morbark 2018-2024 EB1821, EB2131, EB2230, and M20 trailers. The electrical wires in the Power Distribution Module (PDM) may be loose and contact the PDM plate, possibly resulting in electrical arcing between the wiring and plate.

Risk / consequence

Electrical arcing can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will secure the electrical wires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 18, 2024. Owners may contact Morbark's customer service at 1-800-255-8839.

Chronology of events

1. June 2023

   In June 2023, Morbark discovered that LOR Mobile Controls (“LOR”) issued an ECO that recommended two nuts to secure wiring to the PDM. Morbark verified the wiring would remain secure with two nuts. As such, the design for machines in production after April 22, 2024 was changed to include two nuts to secure the wiring to the PDM. In further investigating the issue, Morbark found out that the true issue was insufficient torque on the nuts. Morbark tested this issue on one nut and two nut setups for the PDM. If one nut or two nuts were sufficiently torqued then the wiring did not come loose. Morbark and LOR worked on a solution to permanently affix the nut and wiring to the PDM. LOR decided the inclusion of high strength resin on the nut would hold the wiring. The use of the resin will correct the defect for any vehicles produced between June 1, 2018 and April 22, 2024, and strengthen the vehicles manufactured since April 22, 2024. For the affected vehicles, the inclusion of the use of the resin will keep the wiring from coming into contact with the PDM plate and causing arcing. As of August 20, 2024, Alamo is aware of no warranty claims, no deaths, and no injuries related to this issue. The incident in mid-March 2024 on a vehicle not subject to NHTSA’s jurisdiction is the only such inquiry, notification, or report Alamo has received on this issue. On August 20, 2024 Alamo decided to declare a voluntary safety recall to remedy this issue.

Notification schedule

Dealer notification

OCT 18, 2024 - OCT 18, 2024

Owner notification

OCT 18, 2024 - OCT 18, 2024