Kuat Recalls 3,845 Pivot V3 Hitch Adapters Over Weld Cracks

Kuat is recalling 3,845 Pivot V3 swing-away hitch adapters because the weld where the hitch tube meets the rear cross beam can crack, and the cross beam can come off on the road, according to the Part 573 report Kuat Innovations filed with NHTSA on October 1, 2026 under campaign 26E068. The recall covers part numbers PV3D20B (driver side) and PV3P20B (passenger side) built from January 26 through September 10, 2026. Kuat will replace the adapter for free with a new one that adds a reinforcing plate at that weld, and owner letters are planned for November 1 through 30.

This is an equipment recall, not a truck recall. Your VIN won’t show it. If a Pivot V3 lives in your receiver so the tailgate can still drop with a hitch bike rack on, stop using it and call Kuat now instead of waiting for the letter.

Last updated: October 14, 2026.

Sources

• Kuat Part 573 Safety Recall Report, 26E068 (submitted October 1, 2026): part numbers, build dates, batch codes, units sold vs. held in the warehouse, defect, chronology, remedy and notification schedule
• NHTSA recall acknowledgment, 26E068 (October 5, 2026): recall summary, component class, owner letter date, Kuat customer service number
• Kuat Pivot V3 product page (checked October 14, 2026): 2-inch receiver fit, 90- and 120-degree swing positions, $549 list price, both sides shown unavailable
• NHTSA recalls lookup: NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline is 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9171)

TruckDaily take

Who this is for. Anyone running a Kuat Pivot V3 behind a pickup, usually with a hitch bike rack on it, so the rack swings clear of the tailgate. If you bought one this year, assume it’s in the recall until you’ve checked the part number and batch code.

Who should skip. Owners of other Kuat swing-away models. The filing names only the Pivot V3, part numbers PV3D20B and PV3P20B. Units built with Kuat’s September 28 fix, which adds a support plate at the weld, aren’t in it either.

What we’d do. Pull the Pivot out of the receiver today and leave it out. A swing-away carries the whole rack and every bike on it off the back of the truck, and the failure Kuat describes ends with a cross beam in the road for whoever is behind you. Call Kuat at 1-417-889-5820, give them your part number and batch code, and get the replacement order in before the November letters go out.

Recall at a glance

What failed

The Pivot V3 is a swing-away arm that slides into a 2-inch receiver. Your hitch rack goes in the adapter’s own receiver tube, and the arm swings out to 90 or 120 degrees so you can open the tailgate without unloading bikes. Kuat’s filing puts the problem at the weld joining that hitch tube to the rear cross beam. Under certain loads, the metal there can stretch and crack. The pivot then sags and rests on the hitch tube, and if nobody catches it, the cross beam can separate.

Kuat says it got two field reports, on August 25 and September 1. The second owner reported an unusual amount of play in the system and sent photos that looked like the first case. Kuat asked the factory to stop building the Pivot V3 and paused shipping orders on September 10. On September 24 it recreated a similar condition in testing, though only under loads Kuat says were above what the customer reported and beyond its own recommended use. Kuat also says it couldn’t confirm how either reported unit had been used. It decided a safety defect may exist and recalled the whole population anyway.

Kuat’s filing describes those two reports and doesn’t mention any crash or injury.

Who is affected

Every Pivot V3 that left the factory before September 10, 2026 is covered. Kuat estimates all of them have the defect because they share identical material. In practice, the ones that matter are the 2,147 that shipped:

• Driver-side PV3D20B: 683 sold, batch codes 2612 and 2627
• Passenger-side PV3P20B: 1,464 sold, batch codes 2605 and 2610

The other 1,698 units never left Kuat’s warehouse and are quarantined. The filing doesn’t say where the batch code is marked on the adapter, so if you can’t find it, call Kuat with the part number and where you bought it.

The fix and the letters

Kuat will swap your adapter for a newly built Pivot V3 with an additional support plate reinforcing the joint between the rear cross beam and hitch tube. That change went into production with an engineering change order issued September 28. If new units aren’t ready when you call, Kuat may offer a reasonably equivalent replacement that does the same job, or you can wait for the revised Pivot V3. Either way, you’ll have to destroy or return the old one.

Kuat planned to email dealers and distributors October 5 to 8, telling them to stop selling the adapter and send unsold stock back for credit, with Kuat paying return shipping. Owner letters go out by mail to registered owners and other known buyers from November 1 through November 30. NHTSA’s acknowledgment also asks Kuat for a reimbursement plan, which wasn’t in the first filing.

What owners should do now

• Check the part number and batch code on your adapter against the list above.
• If it matches, or you can’t tell, take it off the truck and stop using it. Kuat’s filing says owners who call before the letters go out will be told to stop using it and offered a free replacement.
• Look at the joint where the hitch tube meets the cross beam. Sag, play, or a visible crack there is the failure Kuat describes.
• Call Kuat at 1-417-889-5820. Have the part number, batch code and proof of purchase ready.
• Report problems to NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 or nhtsa.gov.

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