# Replacement jack stands recalled



## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

To the Harbor Freight Community:

I'm writing to apologize. I often reach out to tell you about Harbor Freight's commitment to quality and all the investments we've made to deliver quality tools at the lowest prices. Your trust matters deeply to me and I'm proud of how far we've come. So when we have a product recall, it hurts.

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 (see details here).

We have investigated all of our other Pittsburgh 3 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56371, 56372 and 57308) as well as the Pittsburgh 6 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56368, 56369 and 56370) and Pittsburgh 12 ton steel jack stands (SKUs 56374 and 56375) and did not find the defect. Although none of these other jack stands are being recalled, if you own any of them and have any concern whatsoever, please bring them back and we'll give you a full cash refund or store credit for those as well.

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

Harbor Freight Tools | 26541 Agoura Road | Calabasas, CA 91302 | 1-800-444-3353 | Unsubscribe


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

at least they are not trying to hide it… HF GETS A BAD RAP SOMETIMES :<))


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

HF is the last place I would buy something that could kill me if it fails.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> HF is the last place I would buy something that could kill me if it fails.
> 
> - Woodknack


Well, its an interesting issue. Because if you go to manny moe and jack or any other car parts chain you are gonna get made in china jack stands designed for max profit.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

> HF is the last place I would buy something that could kill me if it fails.
> 
> - Woodknack


I had the same thought.
If you buy a jack stand from Harbor Freight,
Is it natural selection?


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Eric Smidt, HF's owner. CEO, Founder, is a young, White, American born, guy that was raised in an Orphanage, and has rebounded in life to head an organization with about 2 Billion a year in biz.

Some will only see NON Merican made stuff, and hate it. Fact is most of the tool buys are non American made items. I'm pretty sure it's why they refer to it as a global economy. Americas tool makers are who the haters should be mad at. For wanting much higher profits, they left the USA to go make products in foreign countries. Instead the haters specify specific companies. I have trouble following that

So I don't hate them just because they aren't Merican made, hardly anything is anymore.

Just wondering, of the HF haters, where would you buy a jack stand? If you have some, when did you buy them, and from whom?


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Eric Smidt, HF s owner. CEO, Founder, is a young, White, American born, guy that was raised in an Orphanage, and has rebounded in life to head an organization with about 2 Billion a year in biz.
> 
> Some will only see NON Merican made stuff, and hate it. Fact is most of the tool buys are non American made items. I m pretty sure it s why they refer to it as a global economy. Americas tool makers are who the haters should be mad at. For wanting much higher profits, they left the USA to go make products in foreign countries. Instead the haters specify specific companies. I have trouble following that
> 
> ...


I blame the American consumer. They vote with their wallets a long time ago. Price is King quality is second. You see it on the forums all the time. I need/want/ this or that but I'm just hobbyist I don't what to break the bank, or I'm on a tight budget, or I won't use it that often so I don't want to pay a lot or etc etc etc. American companies have no choice to go over seas to compete for those customers and there is a lot of them.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

For most American businesses it's a local economy. Consumers didn't send our jobs overseas or bean count the cost of returns and lawsuits over injuries vs the cost of quality control, some slickster sold you a load of huey if you think they did. Some believe that within 10 years or so China will surpass the USA as the world's largest economy and nothing is happening that will change that. So buy from our enemy if it suits you but I go out of my way to buy American.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Sooooo….how are those ones from WalMart holding up?


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> Eric Smidt, HF s owner. CEO, Founder, is a young, White, American born, guy that was raised in an Orphanage, and has rebounded in life to head an organization with about 2 Billion a year in biz.
> 
> Some will only see NON Merican made stuff, and hate it. Fact is most of the tool buys are non American made items. I m pretty sure it s why they refer to it as a global economy. Americas tool makers are who the haters should be mad at. For wanting much higher profits, they left the USA to go make products in foreign countries. Instead the haters specify specific companies. I have trouble following that
> 
> ...


You have to blame the first ones to choose/go over seas. Now days there isn't a choice. I would gladly buy American… if it was out there and easily available. It isn't.

Tried to buy American made clothes one time. None available.


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## AMZ (Jan 27, 2020)

I own a powder metal manufacturing plant. 70%+ of my output goes into new cars, with the balance into lawn & garden, electric motors and one of the big tool conglomerates. I would estimate that more than 50% of my output, is exported and a large part of that output is later brought back to the US. I even export parts to China (also to Ireland, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Japan and Canada).

I started out, after graduating from Penn State (1974), by getting a carpenter apprenticeship. I left the trade in 1989 after running commercial/industrial jobs for about 5 years, to start my plant (making parts from powder metal is no harder than forming for concrete).

The American consumer, for the most part, only repeats political talking points about imports/exports. The Pacific Rim is easy to beat up, at the moment, but through the years, exports/imports rise and fall with the different valuations of a nation's currency (I've seen it with Canada!). Different global regions are known to be down and dirty grunt places, others may be low cost, but watch out. That is China, which sometimes means low cost junk, but increasingly better stuff and remember, imports into this country, have acceptable quality levels, determined by the domestic importer.

In the other jack stand thread, I posted that my decades old, US made Craftsman jackstands, have the cup (part that holds the axle, etc.), bend. Safety is paramount on the operator, to test what you use, as well as using redundancy to make sure, when in a potentially dangerous situation, if one thing fails, another offers some protection.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> In the other jack stand thread, I posted that my decades old, US made Craftsman jackstands, have the cup (part that holds the axle, etc.), bend. Safety is paramount on the operator, to test what you use, as well as using redundancy to make sure, when in a potentially dangerous situation, if one thing fails, another offers some protection.
> 
> - AMZ


Hmmmmm, seems like this at the end smacks of you saying an American has ANY responsibility in anything that may go wrong. All I know is what I see, and read. American Lawyers have guaranteed you don't need to have any responsibility to anything, ever. If it goes wrong, we will sue, and you will be rich. So much it's the new American work ethic

BTW I'm on your side, and I really do think like you do, but we are both "OLD" and grew up working, pulling our own weight. We needed responsibility to get a loan, a job, and it was a way of life. I haven't noticed that sentiment too much in these Millennial types.


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## Fresch (Feb 21, 2013)

China builds to your specifications; cheap junk to expensive quality.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Things like Jack stands should be inspected before you use them…every time. If they are bent or worn, do not use.

We have a big part in our own personal safety.


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## GrantA (Jul 19, 2014)

Couldn't resist when I saw this bahahaha


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