VLS issues second warning for Mannol Brake Fluid

Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) has issued a second safety warning after stock of Mannol Brake Fluid DOT 4 3002, suitable for light and commercial vehicles, was found to still be available and still non-compliant, posing a continued risk to public safety.

In December 2023, VLS received a complaint claiming that the product failed in critical performance areas required for safe brake operation.

VLS independently procured a sample of the product within the UK and completed its own independent testing, in which the product reportedly failed to meet specification limits stated in the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 116 DOT 4.

VLS asked Lubriage Ltd, trading as Mannol UK & Ireland, to comment on the test results and confirm the steps it would take as a result. As the product’s distributor in the UK, Lubriage Ltd is responsible for claims made in respect of Mannol Brake Fluid DOT 4 3002 and its compliance with market standards.

Lubriage Ltd advised VLS that it had stopped selling the product in the UK marketplace and asked distributors to quarantine the affected batch number until further notice and not resell it.

Whilst VLS welcomed the Named Party’s response, it says it did not see any evidence of the product being quarantined or withdrawn from the relevant distributors, or any attempt to contact end users who might have purchased the product through their distributors, to recall it at the time. Therefore, the case was escalated to its Primary Authority partner, Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards, as a consumer product safety issue, which passed the case to West Northamptonshire Trading Standards, the home authority of Lubriage Ltd.

VLS recently undertook a six-month review of the case and procured and tested a new product sample. This new sample was also found to be non-compliant against the DOT 4 specification performance claim. Based on the results obtained, the potential consequences of using the product could be increased stopping distance, accelerated wear, and braking system degradation, according to an industry expert, which could cause risk to personal injury, accident or even risk loss of life. Consequently, the case will be raised again with Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards and another safety warning issued to alert users to the danger.

David Wright, VLS’s Company Secretary, commented: “We first advised the Named Party of the initial results obtained by VLS on 26th February 2024, and we were subsequently advised that they withdrew stock and quarantined the affected batch. The six-month review sample has a date of manufacture of 25th May 2024, which is after the date when we advised them of the issue. We are, therefore, gravely concerned that sufficient action has not been taken to protect driver safety.

“We urge motor factors, mechanics and end users alike to avoid using the product as it could put drivers at risk of personal injury, accident or even risk loss of life.”