Truck model part of recall

Type of rig in I-526 crash could have bad rear axle

The type of big rig involved in a fiery crash that killed five people on Interstate 526 July 13 is the subject of a recall expected to begin as soon as July 27 for a rear-axle housing defect that could cause injury or death, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Web site reported Thursday that up to 97 rear-axle housings for 2007 Freightliner Columbia trucks could have the defect. Officials wouldn't comment on whether investigators are looking at the upcoming recall as a possible factor in the deadly North Charleston wreck involving a 2007 Freightliner Columbia.

"The investigators are looking into all aspects, with all vehicles involved, as to what may have caused the accident," North Charleston Police Department spokesman Spencer Pryor said.

The wreck involved the 18-wheeler, two cars and a van. At 4:31 p.m. July 13, amid the influx of traffic from North Rhett Avenue toward I-26, a 2007 Freightliner Columbia driven by Bobby Rex Davis, 54, of Alexander, N.C., struck the rear of a car merging onto I-526, police said.

The car and a van went under the

truck. Another car was trapped between the truck and a wall that runs along the entrance ramp. The truck exploded in flames that consumed the van and two cars, killing all but one of the van's occupants. No one has been charged in the wreck, and the investigation is continuing, Pryor said.

Davis worked for PM Transport of Florida Inc. in Miami. He joined the company in 2005 and had no accidents until last week, spokeswoman Arianna Arana said. PM Transport leased the truck Davis drove from Ryder System Inc. Davis was returning from unloading cargo in Mount Pleasant.

Ryder spokesman David Bruce said the tractor-trailer involved in the accident was a 2007 Freightliner Columbia that was put into service in December 2006. It had been driven about 48,000 miles when it was last serviced in mid-June, he said. Bruce said that he could not discuss specifics of the case.

Freightliner reported a safety campaign to recall 97 of its 2007 Columbia models in a May 30 letter to the NHTSA. The company estimated that fewer than 8 percent of the 97 trucks potentially affected contained the defect. It told the agency that dealer notification would be completed around July 27 and that dealers would repair the problem on affected vehicles.

Dana Corp., which made the axle housings, told the NHTSA in a March 2 letter that up to 5,417 axles shipped to manufacturers including Freightliner LLC, Peterbilt Motors, Kenworth Truck Co., Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks might have defective parts.

The axle housing defects happened because supplier-provided steel was 9.5 mm thick instead of the specified 11 mm thick. The out-of-specification steel could result in failure of the axle housing, most likely at the brake flange. The axle could lock up or the brake system could fail, according to the letter.

"These axle failures could result in a decrease in vehicle control or braking and a vehicle crash," Donald W. Commons, senior counsel for Dana Corp., stated in the letter to Daniel Smith, NHTSA associate administrator for enforcement.

Commons added that fewer than 8 percent of the potentially defective axle housings are estimated to actually contain the defect.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at pfindlay@postandcourier.com or 937-5711.