Efforts to convince the NHTSA to look into possibly faulty imported brake cables have gone unanswered. Considering the inherent hazards of faulty brake cables, the owner of American made Bruin Brake Cables asks, "What will it take?"
Woodstock, IL, February 3, 2015 (Newswire.com) - What will it take for the federal government to acknowledge that imported aftermarket emergency brake cables are notoriously defective? One possible answer to that question is too terrible to contemplate. Unfortunately, that is often precisely what it takes to wake the government up.
Rick Gelscheit owns Bruin Brake Cables of Fox Lake, IL. Yes, he is in competition with those foreign manufacturers of emergency brake cables. And, yes, it would help his business if the government suddenly paid attention to the warning he has given.
"... at the very least, we should expect the Chinese to sell emergency brake cables that are safe."
Rick Gelscheit, Owner - Bruin Brake Cables, Fox Lake, IL
“We test our brake cables,” said Gelscheit. “We want to make sure we’re selling a quality product. At some point, it made sense to compare our cables to our competitors. We were stunned by the results.”
According to Gelscheit, approximately nine out of every 10 foreign made emergency brake cables fail the same test Bruin Brake Cables almost universally pass. He purchases emergency brake cables at area auto parts stores and then tests them. He’s also allowed others to bring in other cables for tests. The results consistently bear out Gelscheit’s assertion.
“On a personal level, I know that I’m competing with companies that don’t pay their workers comparably to what we pay ours,” he said. “That doesn’t seem fair to me but there isn’t much I can do about it unless I have our cables made in China or something. I don’t want to do that. I prefer to put Americans to work. But, at the very least, we should expect the Chinese to sell emergency brake cables that are safe.
“in that regard, the problem goes well beyond competition and fairness. When we replace the emergency brake cables on our cars, my wife and I, we use Bruin Brake Cables. We know they’re good. But, what about someone else that doesn’t? The roads aren’t as safe for any of us when people are driving around with ticking time bombs under their cars – emergency brake cables that will snap the first emergency when they’re used.”
Gelscheit, and others, have approached the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the problem. Admittedly, the NHTSA has its hands full. For instance, in December of 2014, the NHTSA had 19 pages of recalls. But, considering the nature of the problem with faulty foreign manufactured emergency brake cables (Gelscheit believes that Bruin Brake Cables are the last aftermarket emergency brake cables manufactured in the U.S.), it seems the NHTSA might want to add this problem to the list.
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