Harbor Freight recall replacement jack stands may be unsafe too, report says
One customer's recall-replacement jack stand split at the weld seam during use.
This three-ton jack stand failed at much less than its rated weight.
Remember when we published a story on Harbor Freight's jack stands being recalled because their locking pawls weren't fully engaging? It turns out that the replacement jack stands may have issues too -- big ones.
According to a report published Friday by The Drive, the problem involves a customer who attempted to support his Volkswagen Golf with a set of new three-ton Harbor Freight jack stands, only to have one of them split down the middle. Yes, you read that correctly.
The splitting welds are likely the result of improper welding done at the factory, where the weld doesn't achieve full penetration and therefore doesn't fully secure the two pieces of metal. Needless to say, this is not something you should see on a three-ton jack stand with a Golf sitting on it.
"At Harbor Freight, the safety and well-being of our customers is of primary importance, as is the quality of our products," said Craig Hoffman, director of corporate communications and content for Harbor Freight, in a statement. "We take these matters very seriously and have already reached out to the customer to gather more information so that we may investigate this issue in depth."
The post-failure photos of the jack stand are pretty gnarly and would serve as plenty of evidence that maybe we automotive enthusiasts should start purchasing our safety-critical garage equipment elsewhere.
Also, if you haven't checked your jack stands (PDF) to see if they're a part of the Harbor Freight recall, do so at that link, and check over your replacements carefully before trusting your life to them.
