Lucas Bell 
Back in May, MC&T reported on a recall notice pertaining to a slew of Harbor Freight jack stands, which the NHTSA said affected some 454,000 jack stands made between 2013 and 2019. Now however, the company has been forced to issue yet another recall, this time pertaining to the replacement jack stands that customers would have received a credit for.
In an email sent earlier today by Harbor Freight owner and founder Eric Smidt, the tool company confirms that a “small” number of the Pittsburgh-branded replacement jacks that found their way to customers after the may recall also feature a manufacturing defect. Whereas the May recall was caused by an issue with the pawl disengaging from the lifting post, some of the replacement jacks have been found to contain an improper weld.
This weld has the possibility of breaking under load, which of course presents their owners with the risk of injury or death. Smidt stated that this welding error was not caught during the first investigation leading up to the prior recall, and the company has since added the troublesome SKU 56373 model to the recall list.
Harbor Freight appears to be aware that this second recall may make customers uncomfortable using these products. As a result, the company has decided that they will take back any of their Pittsburgh brand 3-ton, 6-ton or 12-ton jack stands, regardless if they are a recalled model, and give customers a store credit or a full refund in return.
If you or anyone you know was affected by the first recall, and if you took delivery of replacement jacks, please take a look at their model number. This information can be located on the plastic label towards the top of the jack stand. This should only take a few minutes, and it has the potential to save your life next time you’re under your muscle car. You can click the link here to head over to the Harbor Freight website and view their jack stand refund information.
