Ricon:: A Wabtec Company

Search	Anti-Stow Equipment Safety Standard Non-Compliance Notification - #07E-097 This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Dear Recall Manager, Ricon Corp. needs your assistance in notifying your customers about a recall of certain wheelchair lift products built between April 1, 2005 and September 6, 2006 inclusive. Ricon Corporation has determined that a safety related non-compliance with S6.10.2.3 of the 403 exists in public and private use wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon on the above dates. YOU MUST NOTIFY NTHSA AND CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL: According to our records, affected units were installed as original equipment on vehicles at your facility. You must notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and conduct a safety recall of those vehicles. It is critical that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA guidelines are followed in a timely manner and that your customers are notified to discontinue the use of the Wheelchair Lift until they schedule a time for you to repair the vehicle. You may contact the NHTSA with questions by sending an email to rmd.odi@dot.gov To help you comply with your obligation to issue a safety recall of the vehicles that contain an affected Wheelchair Lift, we have attached samples of a dealer service bulletin and a sample letter to owners of potentially affected vehicles, along with a corresponding owner reply form, which should facilitate your notification to dealers and owners of the recall and the required repairs and service procedures. Although we have provided these samples to you for your convenience, you MUST submit drafts of your version of these notices to NHTSA for approval at least 5 days prior to mailing such notification to dealers and owners of potentially affected Wheelchair Lifts. Important: Dealer notification by Certified Mail is required by Federal law for all safety recalls. Responsible dealership personnel should be instructed to sign for this Certified mail without hesitation as it contains urgent safety recall information. Notifications to owners of potentially affected vehicles are by first class mail. Please be advised that the outside of each envelope containing an owner notification letter must be marked “SAFETY RECALL NOTICE” all in capital section. A sample of the envelope must be submitted to NHTSA for approval at least 5 business days before mailing to owners. IMPORTANT: Some of the vehicles affected may still be in your inventory. Federal law requires you to complete the recall service on these vehicles before delivery. Ricon Corp. will provide replacement or repair for these units prior to delivery to your customers. WHAT IS BEING RECALLED: This recall process applies to the “Anti-stow interlock” only on Ricon’s “1200, 2000 and 5500” series platform lifts labeled for “DOT Public Use” and “DOT Private Use”. It does not apply to other Ricon products. WHY IS IT BEING RECALLED: The non-compliance with S6.10.2.3 of the 403 is the result of the Anti-stow interlock system not detecting the presence of a 50 pound test weight when the weight is located close to the pivot point for the platform. In the event this condition occurs during passenger operations it may be possible for the lift platform to begin stowing while a wheelchair or mobility aid user is still occupying the area of the platform close to the pivot point of the platform. This situation could cause personal injury. WHAT YOU AS THE OEM/INSTALLER NEED TO DO: Ricon has enclosed a complete list of the lifts you purchased that were manufactured during the specified time period. This information will help you identify your end-user customers and provide the following instructions to them: NHTSA – equipment non-compliance notification Page 3 Adjustment Procedures Note – Test weight dimensions are 6 x 6 x 12 inches 1. Park the vehicle in a safe location. 2. Open the lift door(s) and deploy the lift to the floor level position. 3. Place the 50lb test weight oriented lengthwise along the length of the platform and at the most inboard end of the platform operation volume. There is a non-skid decal on the platform that defines this location. 4. Depress the Stow button. Platform should not stow. If platform does not stow, the lift is properly adjusted. If platform stows with the test weigh, continue with the following procedure: a. Remove the pump cover and locate the anti-stow pressure switch. b. Remove the “jam” set screw in the center of the switch and turn the adjusting set screw one half turn counterclockwise. c. Place the test weight in the prescribed location. d. Adjust pressure switch in the counterclockwise direction until such point where when the Stow function is depressed, the lift will not stow with the test weight in the prescribed location. It is good practice to adjust the switch 1/8-1/4 turn at a time. e. Once pressure switch is set, replace the lock screw. Note – When tightening the lock screw, the adjustment screw may turn up to ¼ turn. f. Re-test to make sure lift will not stow with test weight in prescribed location g. Remove test weight h. Depress the stow switch. Lift should stow with empty platform. Note – Previous procedures relied on the number of “clicks” heard from the pump solenoid. It is normal for a properly adjusted lift to execute 15 or more “clicks”. WHAT RICON CORPORATION WILL DO: Upon notification from your end-user customer, Ricon will work with them to make the necessary adjustments to the pressure switch (es) on their lift (s). If the end-user is already factory trained to perform service on Ricon products, the adjustment can be done at the end-user’s location. If the end-user is not factory trained to perform service on Ricon products, we will arrange for the adjustment to be done at the nearest Ricon authorized service center/dealer. The lift adjustments will be completed at no charge to the end-user. Whether the repairs are done by the end-user or an authorized Ricon Dealer, Ricon will pay a $37.50 labor charge. No parts are necessary to correct this noncompliance. If the lift is adjusted by an authorized Ricon dealer and it is not completed within 3 business days, please notify Ricon Customer Support at the toll free number listed above. If, after contacting the authorized dealer and Ricon Customer Support, your inspection and/or repair is not completed in a reasonable time and without charge you may notify: Associate Administrator for Enforcement National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, D. C. 20590 Phone (888) 327-4236 Ricon Corp. will take responsibility for compiling and submitting required “Quarterly Reports” to NHTSA covering end-user inspection or repairs upon receipt of the customer (end-user) contact information from each OEM. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. If you have any questions concerning these procedures please contact Ricon’s Customer Service at (800)322-2884 email me directly at bmccoy@wabtec.com Enter the serial number(s) of your lift(s) here: Multiple serial numbers can be seperated by comma(,).
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