On Jan. 26, 2012, Bendix advised NHTSA of the potential defect. The defect, which can potentially occur only in vehicles operating in extremely cold conditions (at or below 0˚F), has caused several vehicle manufacturers — Paccar, Volvo, and Navistar — to defer shipments of trucks with the ATR-6 valve manufactured between Dec. 2, 2010, and Jan. 18, 2012.
Bendix says approximately 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles are covered in this issue. The company says it remains in close contact with its customers and is working diligently to address the issue and remedy the situation. A temporary remedy kit is available now. A permanent remedy kit will be forthcoming, Bendix says.
The ATR-6 valve is an automatic traction control relay valve. Vehicle operators are advised that this is an intermittent air leakage issue, not related to Bendix stability systems. The company says vehicle ABS and service braking still will operate normally on covered vehicles. Bendix says it also is essential to understand that if a vehicle operator elects to install the temporary remedy kit, Bendix ESP full stability system and Bendix Wingman ACB and Wingman Advanced will be temporarily suspended until the permanent remedy kit is installed.
A Q&A about this issue is available through the Bendix ATR Value Update link at www.bendix.com. In addition, Bendix says an ATR-6 Action Line is staffed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern seven days a week for technical questions and ordering information. The toll free number is 1-800-478-1793.
