Jacks and Jack Stands for Mobile Mechanics: The ASME PASE Standard, Recalls, and Working on Driveways

Updated 2026-10-17. Sources are listed at the end.

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A shop has a lift. A mobile tech has a floor jack, stands, and whatever ground the customer has. Lifting equipment is the one tool category where buying cheap can kill you, so check standards and recalls before you buy.

The standard to look for: ASME PASE

ASME’s Safety Standard for Portable Automotive Service Equipment (PASE-2024) covers “the design, construction, marking, operation, maintenance, and owner or operation inspection” of, among other things, automotive hand jacks, mechanical jacks, automotive stands, ramps, mobile vehicle lifts and jacks, shop cranes, engine stands, shop presses, strut spring compressors, and oil and antifreeze handlers (ASME PASE).

What to do with that:

Check the label, packaging or manual for a statement that the product meets ASME PASE. If you can’t find one, ask the seller or buy something else.
Read the capacity rating and how it’s stated, for example per stand or per pair, and stay well under it.
Do the owner inspections the manual calls for. PASE covers owner inspection and maintenance, not just how the tool is made.

Recalls happen: the Harbor Freight jack stand case

In 2020 NHTSA warned users of more than 1.7 million Pittsburgh Automotive 3-ton and 6-ton steel jack stands sold by Harbor Freight, which “may collapse under load.” Injuries were reported. Owners were told to stop using them immediately, and full refunds were offered. Affected item numbers were 61196 and 56371 (3-ton) and 61197 (6-ton), across two recalls (20E016 and 20E027). The manufacturer blamed the defect on “the aging of production tooling” (NHTSA consumer advisory, May 28, 2020).

The point isn’t one brand. Equipment that meets a standard can still be recalled. NHTSA handles recalls of motor vehicle equipment, including jack stands, so:

Register your lifting equipment with the manufacturer if there’s a registration option.
Check NHTSA recalls when you buy used and every so often after that.
If stands come with your van or a used tool lot, check the item numbers before you use them.

Driveway and parking-lot setup

Car makers and repair references keep repeating one thing. RepairPal’s suspension guides, for example, say a vehicle must be “safely lifted and supported with a jack and jack stands,” and that failing to do so “can result in serious injury or death” (RepairPal, control arm replacement). For mobile work:

Use the vehicle’s lift points from the service information. Don’t guess.
Never work under a car held up only by the jack. The jack lifts, and the stands hold.
Ground: flat and firm. Hot asphalt, gravel and slopes are reasons to reschedule, move the car, or bring wide base plates. Write a “site not safe” policy into your terms so the customer knows you can refuse a spot.
Chock the wheels that stay on the ground.
Low-profile and EV lift points: some vehicles need specific pads or adapters. Check before you quote. PASE also covers adaptors and attachments.

What it costs you (and how to price it)

Good lifting gear is a one-time overhead cost. Put it into the tools line of the labor rate & break-even calculator, and look at the tax side in deducting tools and a van. If a stand fails on a customer’s car, you’ll be relying on your general liability and garagekeepers coverage. See mobile mechanic insurance types and tools & equipment insurance.

Sources

ASME, PASE-2024 Safety Standard for Portable Automotive Service Equipment: https://www.asme.org/codes-standards/find-codes-standards/safety-standard-for-portable-automotive-service-equipment
NHTSA, Consumer advisory: Warning to Harbor Freight jack stand users (May 28, 2020): https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/consumer-advisory-warning-harbor-freight-jack-stand-users
NHTSA, Recalls: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
RepairPal, Control arm replacement cost: https://repairpal.com/estimator/control-arm-replacement-cost