Door latches a problem on M-ATVs, soldiers say - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Door latches a problem on M-ATVs, soldiers say

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Since getting the new vehicles in January, at least one external door latch has failed on all of 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment’s M-ATVs.

“When we get out of the vehicle to shoot a rocket or something, we have to make sure the door stays open,” Staff Sgt. Dave Reich said.

If it closes, Reich said, the only way to get the door open is to have someone crawl through the vehicle and use the inside handle.

On his truck, it’s the driver’s side door, Reich said, but on other trucks, it’s different. Other members of the platoon were quick to confirm busted latches were a critical problem with the new trucks.

The Pentagon has shipped more than 1,000 of the new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles to Afghanistan.

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

MRAP Joint Program Office officials said they were aware of a problem with door latches on M-ATVs, but “not to the extent described” by 2-12 soldiers, Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman Barbara Hamby said March 5.

“Sticking doors have been identified as an intermittent discrepancy for a few months,” Hamby said.

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

“As part of our investigation, we are also working to determine if there are environmental factors that may be amplifying this issue,” Hamby said. “Our No. 1 priority is equipping the war fighter with highly survivable and safe vehicles, so they can successfully and safely complete their mission.”

Overall, the 2-12 soldiers are happy with the M-ATV. They like its smaller turning radius, as compared with the MRAPs, allowing them to make a U-turn to help other vehicles in an ambush, they said.

The trucks don’t get stuck and have protected the occupants from small-arms fire, soldiers said.

On the downside, soldiers would have liked more cargo room in the passenger cab because they have to get out and grab ammo cans from the truck bed during a firefight.

Sgt. Clint Begley, a forward observer with the unit, said the side windows are too small for him to direct fires. During the first engagement he ran from inside the M-ATV, he had to kick the door open so he could see where his rounds were landing.

From then on, Begley said, he’s been riding in the unit’s MRAPs instead.

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Senior Staff Writer Matthew Cox contributed to this report.