John Deere is a large manufacturer of utility and recreational vehicles. As with other major manufacturers, the company has had its experiences with recalls. For instance, John Deere recalled approximately 4,650 Gator Utility Vehicles due to a fire hazard caused by a fuel line that could’ve separated in January. Now, the company is recalling about 7,000 Compact Utility Tractors due to defective spring locking pins that could lead to serious injuries or even death in the event of a rollover crash.
According to the CPSC, the rollover protective system contains spring locking pins that could potentially break. So far, there have been three reports of the spring locking pins breaking. In addition, John Deere reports that the company found two flawed spring locking pins during the manufacturing assembly process of the vehicles. There have been no reports of any injuries from the recalled tractors.
The recall affects 19 unique models of the 1000 through 4000 series Compact Utility Tractors. The recalled tractors are green, yellow and black. The model number and serial number are located on the hood and on the right side of the frame, respectively. The CPSC’s website has a list of all affected models.
John Deere dealers sold the recalled tractors for between $11,500 and $35,700 from February 2013 through July 2013. The CPSC recommends that all owners of the affected models immediately stop use of the vehicles. John Deere will contact registered owners of the vehicles directly to schedule a free repair.
For more information, consumers can contact Deere and Company at 800-537-8233 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET weekdays and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.