Investigators look at M-ATV door latches - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Investigators look at M-ATV door latches

Military officials are examining Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles in theater to gauge a potential problem with their door latches.

“Sticking doors have been identified as an intermittent discrepancy for a few months,” Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman Barbara Hamby said in early March.

The Pentagon has shipped more than 1,000 of the new M-ATVs to Afghanistan.

Oshkosh Corp. won a $1 billion contract last summer to produce up to 10,000 for off-road use in Afghanistan.

Troops downrange said external door latches have failed on multiple vehicles.

When this occurs, troops say, someone has to crawl through the vehicle and use the inside handle to open the door.

Hamby said MRAP Joint Program Office officials are aware of a problem with door latches, but “not to the extent described” by troops in the field.

“As part of our investigation, we are also working to determine if there are environmental factors that may be amplifying this issue,” Hamby said.

The JPO Quality Team’s Corrective Action Board has analyzed door latches for about a month, Hamby said. Program officials in Afghanistan have received door-adjustment instructions to correct the problem.