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Fruehauf Seeks to Add Parts Makers to Trailer Fire Litigation

Trailer manufacturer Fruehauf is moving to expand a product liability lawsuit by naming component suppliers as co-defendants in a dispute centered on alleged defective parts that caused trailer fires. The manufacturer has requested that SAF-Holland Inc., Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Hoosier Trailer Acquisition Corp. be added to the case filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The litigation was initiated by Summitt Leasing and Summitt Trucking, which alleges failures in multiple components supplied by SAF-Holland and Bendix. Fruehauf contends it merely installed the component parts manufactured by others and bears no responsibility for defects. Hoosier supplied the Fruehauf-manufactured trailers to Pace Transportation Services. Pace then moved the trailers to Summitt. The case traces back to September 2022 when Summitt agreed to purchase 100 trailers from Fruehauf.