Upper Steering Shaft Clamp Bolts May be Loose

Affected vehicles (3)

Component / system

Defect

Orange EV is recalling certain 2023-2025 HUSK-e, e-TRIEVER, and 2022-2024 T-Series trucks. The bolts securing the upper steering shaft clamp may have been improperly tightened.

Risk / consequence

The loose bolts can cause steering system components to separate, resulting in loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Orange EV service will replace the upper steering shaft clamp bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Orange EV customer service at 1-866-688-5223.

Chronology of events

1. Jan 28, 2025

   On January 28, 2025, Orange EV was contacted by a customer for vehicle service which reported finding a loose upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolt on their truck. OEV Service confirmed that the bolt was loose but had not separated from the clamp. The truck was repaired, and the bolt was fastened to the appropriate torque. Vehicle steering was not affected.

2. February 2025

   February 2025 – May 2025

3. Feb 3, 2025

   On February 3, 2025, Orange EV inspected the production records for the serviced truck to confirm that the upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolt was torqued to specification at the time of manufacture. Upon review, it was discovered that the upper bolt was not recorded as being torqued to specification; only the lower bolt was recorded as being torqued to specification. The steering column manufacturing specification and assembly process for T-Series, e-TRIEVER, and HUSK-e trucks were reviewed to understand if this was a single occurrence or potentially systemic. It was found that at the point of intermediate shaft installation on the assembly line, only lower intermediate steering shaft clamp bolts were documented as being torqued to specification.

4. Feb 5, 2025

   On February 5, 2025, Orange EV updated the steering column assembly process to include documentation for torquing the upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolt to specification.

5. Feb 6, 2025

   On February 6, 2025, a “Back-off torque” test was conducted on the upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolts of a small sample of five trucks that remained on the OEV lot and not yet delivered to customers to verify whether they were torqued to specification. The results indicated that the upper bolts in this sample of vehicles may not have been torqued to specification, but all had bolts that were attached to the steering shaft and none were obviously loose. OEV continued to examine the vehicle assembly processes, including a switch in the manufacturing facility that occurred in 2023 and a shift to a different steering shaft supplier in 2022

6. Mar 13, 2025

   On March 13, 2025, during review of the wheel alignment process, it was found that upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolt is loosened to allow for centering the steering wheel. Once the steering wheel has been centered, the upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolt is fastened using standard ratchets.

7. Mar 15, 2025

   On March 15, 2025, Orange EV updated the wheel alignment process to include torquing the upper intermediate steering shaft clamp bolt to specification after completing the alignment. Beginning in mid-March Orange EV started investigating the circumstances for and potential consequences of an upper intermediate steering shaft bolt that is not tightened to specification from the point at which it may become loose to whether it may eventually become detached. This evaluation was

Notification schedule

Dealer notification

No Dealers

Owner notification

Jul 12, 2025 Phased Recall