§393.207 sets the condition standards for the suspension system. Springs (including main leaves, auxiliary leaves, and torque/track rods), U-bolts, axle-positioning parts, and air-suspension components must be in proper condition. The rule includes specific OOS-triggering defects in §393.207(b)–(e).
OOS
The North American OOS Criteria call a vehicle OOS when: any leaf in any leaf-spring assembly is missing, broken, or displaced; a coil spring is broken; a torsion bar / torque rod / track bar is cracked or broken; a U-bolt, spring hanger, or other axle-positioning part is cracked, broken, loose, or missing such that axle alignment is affected; or an air-spring is leaking, mis-positioned, or deflated when it should be inflated.
Severity weight
Severity weight 3 in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. Suspension findings cluster — a single broken leaf usually accompanies worn shocks, fatigued U-bolts, and skewed axle alignment.
How to prevent it
- Mark U-bolts after every torque check so loosening is visible at next inspection.
- Replace leaf-spring sets in matched pairs; mixed-age leaves fatigue at different rates.
- Air-suspension leak checks at every pre-trip — a slow leveling-valve leak is the most common precursor to a §393.207(e) finding.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
A suspension citation shows up in Roadworthy HQ as part of the inspection it came from, not as a record of its own: the app does not store individual violation codes. Log the roadside inspection on the vehicle's Inspections tab: date, state, level, driver, the number of violations, and whether it was out-of-service. For an out-of-service inspection the 15-day §396.9(d)(3) repair-certification countdown stays on that tab until you enter the certification date. The rule's 15 days cover every violation on the report, not only out-of-service ones, so for a non-OOS inspection that date is yours to track. The repair itself goes in the vehicle's maintenance log: date, type, what was done, who did it, and cost. DVIRs are logged per vehicle with the defect described in your own words, and a defect marked safety-affecting that is logged without a repair certification sends a critical alert.