Saturday, March 18, 2006

 

THE USE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plans to remove 38 travel trailers that were intended to house hurricane evacuees in a Lafayette, La., RV park but have instead sat empty for more than four months. The Advocate, Baton Rouge, reported that FEMA has paid $15,600 a month to lease RV pads at Lafayette City-Parish Government’s Acadiana Park Campground since moving the trailers on the site in early November. But no evacuees have been placed in the trailers because FEMA has not arranged sewer service in line with state sanitary codes. “We got a 30-day notice that they will pull the trailers out effective April 13,” said City-Parish Parks and Recreation Director Gerald Boudreaux. “So all of that and no one got in. … Simply unbelievable.” FEMA had intended to use portable sewer tanks at the site that would sit next to each trailer and need to be emptied regularly, but the state Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) required a more permanent system. FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Rodi said that FEMA has chosen to move the trailers from Acadiana Park rather than pay to upgrade sewer service at the site. She said the trailers will either go to nearby sites FEMA has leased or go back to a staging area in Baton Rouge to be distributed elsewhere in the state. FEMA has also begun removing trailers at a site leased from the Gueydan Duck Festival Association rather than install sewer lines there to meet state sanity codes. FEMA had paid the Duck Festival Association $17,500 a month to lease space, but filled only about half the trailers before opting to pull out. The contract expired March 11, but about 20 FEMA trailers remain at the site, said Duck Festival Association President Ronnie Lougon.

 

RECALL

Make / Models :

Model/Build Years:
FOUR WINDS / MANDALAY

2005
Manufacturer : FOUR WINDS INTERNATIONAL

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V076000
Mfg's Report Date : MAR 13, 2006
Component: STEERING:LINKAGES
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 65
Summary: ON CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES BUILT ON FREIGHTLINER CHASSIS AND EQUIPPED WITH I-SHAFTS SUPPLIED BY ZF HEAVY DUTY STEERING, THE STEERING SHAFT ASSEMBLIES WITH LOWER YOKES MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY MACHINED. THE STEERING SHAFT SPLINES COULD PUSH THROUGH THE LOWER YOKE, ALLOWING THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN WITHOUT ANY RESPONSE.
Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS ,THE VEHICLE COULD SUFFER LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: FREIGHTLINER IS CONDUCTING THE OWNER NOTIFICATION AND REMEDY FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. FREIGHTLINER WILL INSPECT AND ATTACH A TENSION COLLAR TO THE STEERING SHAFT TO SECURE THE CONNECTION TO THE YOKE FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FREIGHTLINER AT 1-800-547-0712 OR FOUR WINDS AT .
Notes: CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

 

CHINOOK STILL SEEKING A BUYER

Trail Wagons/Chinook RV, Yakima, Wash., is shopping for a buyer among its customer base, having failed in attempts to sell the company since January 2005, according to a report in the Yakima Herald Republic. The company's survival is on the line said office manager Carolyn McMurry in a March 7 letter to customers obtained by the Herald Republic. According to lawyers for debtors of the company, a foreclosure sale of the property has been set for March 24. "We have a few other potential buyers, but if something doesn't happen soon, I am not sure if Chinook can survive," McMurry wrote in the letter. McMurry said the company, which stopped production last year, thought it had a committed buyer in late February but the deal fell through. In contacting customers, McMurry said the intent "is to get the right individual/individuals to see the true value of the Chinook product and why it is so important to continue this legend." Trail Wagons owner, Yakima businessman and developer Gary Lukehart, has not responded to repeated requests for an interview with the newspaper. McMurry said she could not discuss the company's past or prospects. Trail Wagons once employed more than 162 people and grew with the help of loans from the city and county totaling nearly $3 million. The bulk of the money is owed to the city, which says it will recoup its investment if the property is sold. In October, a court-appointed receiver, Inverness Partners of Bend, Ore., took control of the Chinook Business Park on behalf of a Chicago-based bank lender. According to court records, Trail Wagons stopped making payments in May 2005, defaulted in June and owes more than $3.6 million in principal plus interest and penalties. The newspaper reported that Chinook RV customers say they feel left in the dark and don't know whether their warranties for repair work will be honored. George Poulsen of Arlington, Texas, who is vice president of membership for one of several Chinook camping clubs, said in an e-mail: "We'd like to see it once again establish itself as a viable ongoing business to serve us with one of the finest products ever developed for serious campers. Many have felt a bit violated in that no news was provided from the company prior to the receivership. ... Clearly our faith has been jeopardized as well as our warranties."

Sunday, March 12, 2006

 

RECALL

Make / Models :

Model/Build Years:
DETROIT DIESEL / SERIES 60

2000-2005
Manufacturer : DETROIT DIESEL CORP.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06E019000
Mfg's Report Date : MAR 08, 2006
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 12489
Summary: CERTAIN MY 2000 THROUGH 2005 DETROIT DIESEL SERIES 60 ENGINES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2000, AND MARCH 3, 2006, INSTALLED ON CERTAIN HIGHWAY COACH AND MOTOR HOME VEHICLES. THE TURBOCHARGER COMPRESSORS INSTALLED IN THESE MOTORHOMES CAN FAIL.
Consequence: A FIRE CAN RESULT SHOULD THE TURBOCHARGER FAIL.
Remedy: DETROIT DIESEL WILL NOTIFY ITS OWNERS AND REPAIR THE ENGINES FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED THE AGENCY WITH A NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE. OWNER MAY CONTACT DETROIT DIESEL AT 313-592-3708.
Notes: CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

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