Harbor Freight Recalls Replacement Jack Stands, Too
Russ Chastain 07.07.20
Back in May, we told you about a Harbor Freight Tools recall on certain vehicle jack stands, which they said “may drop suddenly” — never a good thing for a jack stand! Well, now they have broadened their recall AND offered refunds to owners of other jack stands which they say are not affected.
In a letter to customers, Harbor Freight owner/founder Eric Smidt apologized, then confessed that he’s “disappointed and embarrassed” that they have now found defects in the replacement jack stands originally offered as replacements.
“A few months ago, we recalled our Pittsburgh 3 ton and 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56371, 61196 and 61197) due to a manufacturer’s defect. We asked customers to return them and receive a gift card that could be used to purchase replacement jack stands. I felt terrible about that recall because you should never have a concern about the safety of any of our products.
“Today, I feel even worse. I’m disappointed and embarrassed because we’ve identified a welding defect in a small number of the Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKU 56373) that replaced the recalled jack stands. We’re now adding these jack stands to our recall. Unfortunately, this defect wasn’t discovered during the initial recall investigation. If you own these jack stands or any of the jack stands in our original recall, whether or not you have had an issue with them, please stop using them immediately and bring them back to your local Harbor Freight Store for a full cash refund or store credit.”
Recalled jack stands:
- Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKU 56371)
- Pittsburgh 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 61196 and 61197)
- Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKU 56373)
Smidt said that although they couldn’t find problems with other Pittsburgh brand jack stands and are not recalling them, they will provide “a full cash refund or store credit” for anyone who’s lost confidence in their jack stands. Those include:
- Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 38846, 56372, 57308, 62392, 69597)
- Pittsburgh 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 38847, 56368, 56369, 56370, 62393, 69596)
- Pittsburgh 12 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 34924, 56374, 56375, 61599)
It’s worth noting that if you choose cash instead of store credit, you’ll get less. Here’s a chart showing what HF will pay for various jack stands (you can also see details by clicking here).
It’s sad they’re having so many problems with this, but I have to give them credit for recognizing what a loss of confidence this could bring to consumers, and offering to buy back jack stands that haven’t shown any signs of trouble.
Smidt ended the letter by assuring customers that Harbor Freight has learned from this and will be improving:
“I want to apologize to all of our customers. While we’ve dramatically grown our team of engineers and inspectors, and intensified our tests and inspections, I assure you that the lessons learned from this will drive further improvement.
“As the owner and founder of Harbor Freight, I want you to know that we stand behind every product we sell and that safety will always be our top priority.”
Sincerely,
Eric Smidt
Owner and Founder
Harbor Freight Tools
What do you think? Are you done with HF jack stands? Now I’ve got to go check the SKUs on the pair out in my shop…
