In response to Land Line's website article of Aug. 17 entitled: "KW offers fix for Airglide suspension problem," Kenworth has issued a statement indicating some of the information relayed by the California Highway Patrol's bulletin is not accurate. KW spokesman Jeff Parietti told Land Line today that the company plans to meet with the California Highway Patrol regarding the matter.

Here is the statement released by Kenworth:

The California Highway Patrol has issued an Information Bulletin regarding allowable axle movement and out-of-service criteria for Airglide 200 suspensions on Kenworth trucks and truck/tractors built since 1996. Kenworth was contacted by CHP, and we shared with them our criteria for service and replacement of AG200 suspension components. There was a misunderstanding of the technical data that was shared with the CHP, and as a result, the final bulletin as published by CHP contains assumptions and conclusions that are not correct. We will work more closely with the CHP to correct these misunderstandings, and clarify the inspection criteria.

The Information Bulletin identifies two particular joints in the suspension (the swaybar/frame bracket bushing, and the control arm pivot pin joint) as areas of potential concern. The Bulletin quotes a "Kenworth...wear limit of 1/8 inch" at each joint. As long as there is no contact between the swaybar and frame bracket, or between the control arm and the sway bar end casting, there are no handling issues or loss of suspension functionality or integrity.

Kenworth recommends that any owner concerned about the condition of their Airglide 200-equipped truck contact their Kenworth dealer for an evaluation.