Harbor Freight Trailer Lights Fail to Get Free Pass
Published Date: 6/11/2026
Notice
Summary
Harbor Freight Tools found some of their Kenway trailer lights don’t fully meet safety rules and told the government back in 2020. They asked to skip fixing or warning customers, but the government said no—these issues matter for safety. If you bought these lights, keep an eye out because fixes or recalls might still happen, but no extra costs or deadlines were announced yet.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Free Remedy Required for Kenway Lights
NHTSA denied Harbor Freight Tools' petition on the noncompliant Kenway 12V magnetic and submersible trailer lights and ruled HFT must provide notification and a free remedy under 49 U.S.C. 30118 and 30120. About 3,832 units manufactured between July 1, 2019 and December 22, 2019 are potentially involved; if you bought these lights you should expect to be notified and offered a remedy at no charge.
Lights Failed Photometry Tests
Testing showed some Kenway trailer lights did not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 photometric requirements: two submersible samples measured 466.33 cd and 497.39 cd compared with a group minimum of 520 cd, and several magnetic samples exceeded maximum limits (e.g., 579.81 cd, and a tail lamp measured 31.87 cd vs a 25 cd limit). NHTSA said these deviations can reduce visibility or cause glare and therefore are not inconsequential to safety.
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