1998 Trail King Trailer Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 Trail King Trailer, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes150.0%
- Other / unspecified150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
ON 7 OCTOBER 2002 I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A HIGHWAY NEAR DENVER WHEN AN AIR HOSE COUPLING RELEASED AND CAUSED THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKES TO APPLY .ON 15 JUNE 2003 THE SAME AIR HOSE COUPLING RELEASED AND CAUSED THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKES TO APPLY. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE TRACTOR TRAILER COMES TO A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE STOP ON THE HIGHWAY. THE FAILURE OCCURS DUE TO A QUICK RELEASE COUPLING USED TO CONNECT THE TRAILER AIR HOSE SUDDENLY RELEASES AND THE RESULTS ARE A LOCKING OF ALL TRAILER WHEEL BRAKES. THE AIR HOSE HAVE A QUICK DISCONNECT FITTING COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS A "SCHRADER FITTING OR COUPLER .THIS COUPLER IS USED SO THAT THE TRAILER GOOSE NECK CAN BE REMOVED TO CONVERT THE LOWBOY TRAILER TO ALLOW THE LOADING OF VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT SUCH AS BULL DOZERS..THE COUPLER IS IN A NON PROTECTED AREA UNDER THE TRAILER GOOSENECK JUST BEHIND THE REAR DRIVE WHEELS OF THE TRACTOR . I CALLED TRAIL KING INDUSTRIES IN MITCHELL SOUTH DAKOTA, ON 17 JUNE 2003 AND SPOKE WITH DON (LAST NAME UNKNOWN) AND DISCUSSED THE RECURRING PROBLEM WITH HIM. HE TOLD ME HE KNEW OF AT LEAST 4 OTHER OCCASIONS OF THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING AND THAT IT WAS NOT A TRAIL KING PROBLEM NOR WAS THERE ANY DEFECT IN THE COUPLERS... THIS COUPLE IS NOT A "GLAD HAND" TYPE AIR HOSE COUPLER SUCH AS THE KIND USED TO CONNECT THE TRACTOR AIR HOSE TO THE FRONT OF THE TRAILER..IT IS A COUPLE COMMONLY USE TO CONNECT AIR TOOLS SUCH AS AN IMPACT WENCH TO A AIR HOSE USED IN A MECHANICS SHOP. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALSO OCCURRED TO A TRAIL KING TRAILER OWNED BY REDMOND HEAVY HAUL IN PORTLAND,OREGON. AFTER THE FIRST OCCURRENCE I HAVE ALWAYS TRIPLE CHECKED THE BRAKE HOSE CONNECTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONNECTIONS WERE SECURE..THE LAST FAILURE OCCURRED 700 MILES SINCE THE LAST TIME I REMOVED AND RECONNECTED THE BRAKE AIR HOSES . THE LAST FAILURE CAUSED ONE TIRE TO EXPLODE AND CAUSED MY TRACTOR TRAILER TO COME TO A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE STOP ON A HIGHWAY. *NLM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
RECALL 98V120012; CONSUMER HAS BEEN WAITING OVER A YEAR FOR WHEELS THAT WERE RECALLED IN 1998. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .