Lawsuit Claims Harbor Freight Jack Stand Collapse Caused Permanent Disability

Complaint notes Harbor Freight also had to issue a recall for replacement jack stands due to defective design and manufacturing risks.

An Oklahoma man has filed a product liability lawsuit alleging a defective jack stand sold by Harbor Freight collapsed, pinning him underneath a vehicle and causing serious injuries.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Robert Feezor in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on April 13. It names Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc., Pittsburgh Automotive, and Jiaxing Golden ROC Tools Co. Ltd as defendants.

Feezor alleges the jack stand was defectively designed, claiming its latch mechanism did not reliably engage and lacked safeguards to prevent a collapse. He also contends Harbor Freight failed to issue timely warnings about earlier recalls involving similar problems. The complaint further states that even replacement units provided during the recall were later determined to be defective.

Jack Stand Collapse Defects

Jack stands are metal support pieces that are placed underneath a car after a jack has raised the vehicle up. The stands keep the vehicle in a propped-up position while the user works on the car. However, jack stands may pose a danger to consumers if they collapse from manufacturing defects, overloading, improper use or being placed on uneven surfaces.

In June 2020, Harbor Freight issued a Pittsburgh Automotive jack stand recall, affecting about 2 million units. The recall was issued after reports of manufacturing defects that allowed the stands to collapse while in use. It followed a May 28, 2020 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety advisory for the Pittsburgh Automotive 3-ton and 6-ton heavy duty steel jack stands, warning that products posed a risk to consumers.

Harbor Freight issued another recall for the jack stands offered as a replacement for the first recall on July 8, 2020. The company said the new jack stands, provided as a safer alternative, could also fail during use and injure consumers.

Harbor Freight Jack Stand Collapse Lawsuit

The complaint indicates Feezor was using the jack stand in a typical way in July 2025 when the stand, without outside force, suddenly collapsed. The vehicle fell and pinned him underneath, causing serious injuries.

Feezor alleges the jack stand contained a design defect that prevented the locking mechanism from fully engaging, undermining its ability to keep the stand secure. He also claims the product lacked adequate safety features to protect users if a collapse occurred. As a result, Feezor says the failure left him with permanent, disabling injuries.

He also alleges Harbor Freight failed to warn consumers about the recall for the jack stand in a timely manner, only to replace it with yet another defective product that was also unsafe for consumers.

“That the jack stand and its parts were supplied by Defendants in a defective condition which rendered the jack stand unreasonably dangerous and further that the defective conditions were a proximate cause of the injuries and damages to the Plaintiff has hereinafter alleged. The jack stand as originally designed was defective.”

– Robert Feezor v. Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc. et al

The complaint presents claims of product liability, failure to warn of the defect and negligence. Feezor is seeking compensation for physical pain, suffering, mental anguish, past and future medical expenses, physical impairment, physical disfigurement and permanent disability.

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