Harbor Freight Jack Stand Lawsuit

Harbor Freight recalled 1.7 million Pittsburgh® 3-Ton, 6-Ton or 12-Ton Jack Stands because they can collapse and cause severe injury or death to anyone under a lifted vehicle.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Harbor Freight Jack Stand induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by a Pittsburgh Automotive® 3-Ton, 6-Ton or 12-Ton Heavy-Duty Steel Jack Stand, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: Harbor Freight Expands Jack Stand Recall, Offers Refunds for 12-Ton Stands

In July 2020, Harbor Freight recalled even more jack stands after customers reported that their replacement jack stands were also failing. Harbor Freight is now offering refunds for certain 3-ton, 6-ton and 12-ton Pittsburgh jack stands that were supposed to be “safe” replacements after the recall.

Harbor Freight Recalls 1.7 Million Jack Stands That Can Collapse and Cause Severe Injury & Death

In May 2020, after more than a year of complaints, Harbor Freight issued a Safety Recall for 1.7 million Pittsburgh Automotive® 3-Ton and 6-Ton Heavy-Duty Steel Jack Stands. Due to a manufacturing defect, the stand can collapse suddenly when it is carrying a load. This can result in severe injury or death to anyone underneath a lifted vehicle or standing nearby.

What is the problem?

Harbor Freight is known for cheap tools, but consumers may want to think twice about risking their life on a $20 jack stand made in China.

Bad jacks are extremely dangerous. If a jack fails during use, it can easily crush or kill a person under a vehicle. The safety risks include:

Crushing injuries
Lacerations
Amputation of fingers or limbs
Spinal cord injury
Paralysis
Permanent scarring or disability
Death

Pittsburgh Automotive 6-Ton Jack Stand Recall

In March 2020, Harbor Freight recalled 454,000 Pittsburgh Automotive 6-Ton Heavy-Duty Steel Jack Stands manufactured in China since December 2012.

It is marked with ITEM #61196 or ITEM #61197 printed on the yellow part of the label on the base of each jack stand.

Pittsburgh Automotive 3-Ton Jack Stand Recall

In May 2020, Harbor Freight expanded the recall to include another 1.2 million Pittsburgh Automotive 3-Ton Heavy-Duty Steel Jack Stands due to the same safety hazard — collapsing unexpectedly during use.

It is marked with ITEM #56371 printed on the label on the top of each jack stand.

How Many People Were Injured by Defective Harbor Freight Jack Stands?

Harbor Freight has not reported how many injuries, deaths, or complaints led to the recall.

However, consumers have been complaining about defective jack stands from Harbor Freight for at least 1 year before the recall. Here is a video from May 2019 in which a man clearly shows a defective Pittsburgh 6-Ton jack stand:

What Should I Do?

Harbor Freight is asking consumers who purchased these recalled jack stands to immediately return it to a Harbor Freight Tools store in exchange for a gift-card equal to the “shelf price” of the jack stand.

Why Do the Jack Stands Suddenly Collapse?

Under load, with a potential shift in weight, the jack stand pawl may disengage from the extension lifting post. This allows the stand to drop suddenly. The problem has been linked to poor manufacturing of the pawl due to aging of production tooling. This can cause inconsistency in the engagement of the ratchet teeth, according to the recall notice.

Do I have a Harbor Freight Jack Stand Lawsuit?

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