15 replies to this topic

[davew]

Announcement from D-Force Wheels:

At D-Force Wheels, our first concern is safety. Recently we have been made aware of an isolated batch of wheels that were produced with a flawed tooling. To rectify this we are implementing a voluntary recall for 15x7 D-Force branded wheels shipped from our warehouse after November 22, 2011.


1.As a precautionary measure we are replacing all wheels that were part of that batch.

2.Production has begun on a replacement batch of wheels with new tooling but we do have immediate availability of product with a mesh design ready as replacements.

We are in touch with the manufacturer and are trying to determine exact casting numbers for these wheels but we do not have that specific information just yet. We did want to release this now to lessen the risk of injury or damage even though we do not have the exact casting information yet from the factory. For the time being and until we determine the exact casting numbers, we will offer to replace any wheels purchased after November 22, 2011.

If your wheels are part of this group, please discontinue use and contact us immediately via sales@dforcewheels.com (preferred) or call 888-502-0315 for my office. Any questions can also be sent here and we will answer as efficiently as possible. Due to the obvious volume of calls, we do prefer email. We will respond with shipping instructions and to make arrangements for replacement wheel(s) to ship to you.

We offer a sincere apology for any inconvenience caused - We want do what is right. We are offering this voluntary recall first and foremost to protect your safety, and as a small step toward regaining your trust.

We will update as more information becomes available.

Yours Sincerely,
Tom Merrifield
D-Force Wheels Inc.



Advanced Autosports has been selling the effected wheels in the black with machined lip design. We have been working with Tom, of D-Force Wheels, to get this issue resolved. I would like to commend Tom on stepping up and taking care of this issue in a very quick time frame. If you purchased wheels from me after November 2011. Please follow D-Force's advise and refrain from using them. Once the casting numbers are determined we will be able to determine which wheels are effected.

As much as I would like to help, I am also a customer of D-Force and can not be of any assistance in replacing the wheels. That must be handled direct with D-Force. In working with Tom on this issue, he has earned my respect as being a great person to deal with. I am sure he will make everything right in this matter.

For the moment, stop using the effected wheels. Once a procedure is set, I will inform everyone.

Thank You
Dave

[granracing]

Dave, did they give any rough time estimate on when the impacted casting numbers will be determined? I have a set that I really counted on using next weekend.

[Rob Burgoon]

I'm impressed. Props to Dave W and D-Force. Less than a month from first failure I heard about to recall.

[davew]

Both Tom and I felt it was very important to get this info out before this weekend. Unfortunately at this time I really don't know any more than what has already been posted above. I know Tom has been diligently working on this all week. As I learn more I will keep everyone informed.

Let me state this again, I have complete confidence that this issue will be handled properly by Tom and the crew at D-Force.

dave

[KentCarter]

I feel badly for all involved. If these wheels are made in China, the importer just has no way to know who is making them and with what materials or tooling. One one project I was running, we found that our Chinese supplier had sub-contracted manufacturing of a critical piece to another firm without telling us. We started to find a subset of material that was out of spec randomly. They lied to us over and over about the situation.

Good job of taking care of the customers though!

[Jamz14]

Hello All,

Our #17 car was one of the cars with rim failures. The failure caused a very big off and we were very lucky that the incident wasn't much much worse. Because it is my son that drives the car, I was very concerned about continuing to run the two possibly good front wheels (this was before we knew that there was a defect). So I removed them from the car and contacted Dave.

Part failures are never a good thing and I understand the reluctance to reuse a manufacturer that has had a quality issue. However, I feel that how a manufacturer handles an issue or problem is more telling than how well they treat you when you are trying to buy something.

Dave Wheeler has been superb in his response to this. And though I haven't directly communicated with Tom at D-Force, I feel that through communications with Dave, that Tom has demonstrated excellent character and integrity during this. I will gladly continue to support D-Force and Advanced Autosports. I know that they understand how important safety is and how important our loved ones are to us. They know that it is my son driving their product and I know that they will not put him out on a product that they themselves wouldn't be willing to put their loved ones on. And as a side note,the great safety gear requirements mandated by NASA give me the confidence that, in making this decision, I am not putting my sons safety at risk.

I look forward to working with both Dave and Tom in the future and in assisting them in any way that I can as they work through this. See all the socal racers in Fontana!

James

[Jamz14]

Kent,

As a US manufacturer that makes product in China, I understand very well your comment on China quality and process control. I have seen what you have described many times over. But there is one thing that you can count on from the Chinese, their concern for loss of business. Granted it more often than not takes a big mistake for them to understand that they are risking their business by cutting costs, quality and control. And the first reaction by the overseas factories tends to be denial and lies. But make no mistake, both the US importer and the chinese factory understands that to have another issue like this would almost certainly mean the end of their business here in the US. If D Force comes to us as a racing community and says they have confidence that the problem is solved, then I trust that this is true.

Now to fix the issue may mean that the rims are more expensive. So be it. Like everyone else I want to get the best price on expensive components that are torn up all the time. But certainly not at the risk of injury. It is way more expensive to pay the doctor and to rebuild a car than it is to pay a few extra dollars for good gear.

D Force will get a handle on this. As you pointed out though, they may have to knock some heads around to do it.

[KentCarter]

I want to be fair here: I don't even know if the D-force wheels are made in China.

Even if D-force quits importing them, they will appear again under another brand and for another purpose. The manufacturer will simply find another importer and do a re-style. Or they will be 'new and improved' for a while, only to slip back into suspect metalurgy and QC. We had that experience with our supplier. We even changed suppliers only to find that they also subbed out behind out back. We finally just had to quit making that product line.

It doesn't surprise me that Team Dynamics pulled their production out of China after a brief stint.

[Terry Whitlock]

Can anymone supply a description of the type and nature of the failures? Picture of the impacted area might be helpful as well.

[Keith Andrews]

Terry, I don't have any pictures but the spokes are fracturing and completely braking in some cases. We saw a number of failures at Charlotte last week. This link has some pictures http://www.spece30.c...-force-failures

[Terry Whitlock]

Keith, thanks for posting and it clearly indicates the severity of the failures. I don't run these wheels, but a lot of our friends do. I forwarded Dave's post over to the SARRC guys running at Road Atlanta this weekend as a heads up.

[granracing]

Just got off the phone with Kim at Phil's Tire Service (they're awesome btw ) and she stated that the only wheels for the Miata impacted are black with a machine lip. I also spoke with Tom at D-Force just to be safe as I have a set just purchased D-Force wheels and he confirmed this (actually said black machined Miata wheels). He also stated there were a small batch impacted for Miatas - around 120 wheels in total. There were some BMW wheels involved but didn't ask about that.

So even if you've purchased wheels from D-Force within the above listed dates, there's a strong probability that they're okay and not involved in the recall.

As others have stated, Tom was nice to speak with and take the time to clarify things. Hopefully others will pass this updated information along.

[granracing]

Tom forwarded me a list of impacted wheels. The long product code (printed on the label), again only on black machined lip wheels, is 20566157001604. The short code (stamped on the rim shield - inside of the wheel that the tire covers up) is w01604.

[Keith Novak]

Yikes! I have a set of those. Thanks for posting.

(Kent: They do say Made in China on the spokes.)

[davew]

All of the Miata wheels in question where sold by Advanced Autosports. My agreement with D-Force is that I have an exclusive on the black with machined lip for Miatas. I have to buy the entire production run of wheels. I have no info on the BMW wheels also produced at the same time.

I have purchased 2 runs of wheels. All of the failures has been with the second run. So if you purchased your wheels from any source except Advanced Autosports, your wheels are fine. If you purchased your wheels from Advanced Autosports prior to December 2011, your wheels are fine.

If you purchased wheels from Advanced Autosports after December 2011, you will need to dismount the tires and inspect the inner rim surface for a stamped production code. This stamping is hard to find and hard to read. But it is there. If the code ends in 601, your wheels are from the first production run and are fine. If the code ends in 604, your wheels should be returned directly to Tom at D-Force. Sending them back to me will only slow down the process. Contact Tom at the number/email above.

At this time I have about 15 wheels unaccounted for. I am handling all my local customers with one shipment of replacement wheels. Many people have been in direct contact with Tom at D-Force. I know some wheels have been damaged due to contact with walls and curbs. My best guess is about 12 wheels outstanding, that I have not been able to contact the owner.

I hope that this clears up any misunderstanding concerning this issue. Tom and I have worked very hard at getting the situation rectified with as little hassel to our customers as possible. If you have any of the few effected wheels, that I have not been able to locate, please inspect the wheels and contact Tom.

Advanced Autosports and D-Force wheels will work hard to regain your trust in our products. From first hearing about a single wheel failure to virtually every effected wheel off the track has been about a month. A fairly remarkable feat in itself. For those of you whom have already contacted Tom, continue to work with him directly. Those of you that are local to me and we have already talked, I should have your replacement wheels in about a week.

Tom and the crew at D-Force stepped up and did the right thing without hesitation. I commend him on his integrity. I will continue to use and sell his product.

Dave

[granracing]

That's great that you're actually reaching out to impacted customers and tracking this Dave. A lot of companies wouldn't be bothered.