CPSC, Deere & Company Announce Recall of Compact Utility Tractors

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #04545) was formally reported on April 9, 2004. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. John Deere, of Moline, Ill. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate 300 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Some of the steel bolts used to secure Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS) to the tractor's real axle can shear off, decreasing the strength of the ROPS and its ability to protect the operator, in the event of a roll-… Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: The company is directly notifying purchasers. Consumers should stop using their tractors immediately and contact a John Deere dealer for a free repair. — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 1 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 22 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.