Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Harbor Freight Jack Stand Can Collapse While Under Loads

A Harbor Freight jack stand lawsuit alleges 1.7 million stands in the U.S. were sold with defects that made the jack stands too dangerous to use.

The jack stand class action lawsuit includes all consumers nationwide who purchased Harbor Freight jack stands with item numbers 56371, 611196 or 61197. The lawsuit follows a Pittsburgh automotive jack stand recall of 3-ton and 6-ton heavy duty steel jack stands sold by Harbor Freight.

According to the lawsuit, every jack stand has manufacturing defects which cause the ratchet teeth on the jack stand lifting extension post to inconsistently engage the pawl deep enough. In addition, the 3-ton jack stands allegedly have inconsistent location indexing of the pawl armature holes.

Georgia plaintiff Markeith Mitchell purchased the 6-ton stands and used them a few times but allegedly experienced slip on the ratcheting mechanism while lifting his truck. While he had safety mechanisms in place to catch the vehicle before it slammed into the ground, he stopped using the jack stands because he felt they were dangerous.

Mitchell says he tried to return the jack stands to the Harbor Freight store but was told they were no longer under warranty and couldn’t be returned. The plaintiff alleges he received no value from the stands, and he tossed them out because they were too dangerous to use.

The class action lawsuit says the sales of the jack stands were negligent because the stands were “unmerchantable” and unfit for their intended purposes. The jack stands were also allegedly unreasonably dangerous and caused damage to all buyers because the “jack stands were worthless in the condition they were purchased.”

The Harbor Freight jack stand lawsuit brings claims for breach of warranty, negligence, and product liability.