Military Tracked Vehicles — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk

What This Equipment Is

U.S. Army and Marine Corps tracked combat and combat-support vehicles built from WWII through the 1980s — and the substantial fleet of tracked-vehicle equipment used by reserves and National Guard well into the 2000s — historically contained extensive asbestos components:

  • Steering brake bands — large tracked-vehicle steering brakes (the primary asbestos-friction application)
  • Transmission brake bands and clutches — track-laying transmission components
  • Engine cooling-fan clutches
  • Engine and transmission gaskets — head, manifold, and pan gaskets
  • Engine-compartment heat shielding — see Vehicle Heat Shields
  • Crew-compartment insulation — separating engine compartment from crew
  • NBC (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical) filtration components — fume-and-particulate filters
  • Auxiliary power unit (APU) components
  • Tracked-vehicle final-drive components

Major vehicle categories include M48, M60, M1 Abrams tanks; M113 family of armored personnel carriers; M109 self-propelled howitzers; Bradley Fighting Vehicle; AAV / LVTP amphibious assault vehicles; M88 recovery vehicles; and many specialized engineer / combat-support tracked variants.

Why Military-Tracked-Vehicle Work Was an Asbestos Exposure Pathway

Army and Marine Corps mechanical maintenance (DA / MOS 63 series, USMC MOS 13xx) performed steering-brake, clutch, and transmission rebuilds across the tracked-vehicle fleet. Steering-brake replacements in particular involve handling large asbestos-friction bands, disassembling brake housings, blowing out accumulated brake dust, and reassembling with fresh friction material.

Maintenance depots — Anniston Army Depot (Alabama), Red River Army Depot (Texas), and others — performed concentrated tracked-vehicle rebuilds with extensive asbestos disturbance per vehicle.

Field-level maintenance by unit motor pools and field-maintenance battalions also routinely encountered asbestos in brake and clutch components.

Service from WWII through the late 1980s exposed multiple generations of Army and Marine maintenance soldiers / marines to substantial cumulative asbestos doses across their careers.

Manufacturers Named in Military-Vehicle Litigation

  • General Motors (Allison Transmission / Detroit Diesel) — tracked-vehicle powertrains
  • Continental Motors / Teledyne — tank engines
  • Cummins Engine — military vehicle engines
  • Honeywell — military vehicle components (Bendix lineage)
  • Allison Transmission — track-laying transmissions
  • Bendix / Honeywell — friction products
  • Abex / Pneumo Abex — friction products
  • Raybestos-Manhattan — friction products

Documented Product References

Images sourced from publicly available product-identification reference materials. Inclusion does not constitute a finding of liability against any company.

Trust Funds That May Apply

  • Pneumo Abex Asbestos PI Trust
  • Raybestos-Manhattan Asbestos PI Trust
  • Federal-Mogul Asbestos PI Trust
  • Plus VA service-connected disability benefits for Army and Marine veterans

Service Roles Most Exposed at Military-Tracked-Vehicle Work

Army mechanics (63 / 91 series MOSs across the era), Marine Corps mechanics (13xx MOSs), motor-pool NCOs, depot-maintenance civilian and military workers, National Guard and reserve maintainers, contract maintenance crews at military equipment-rebuild facilities.

Cross-References

Compiled from publicly filed asbestos litigation, U.S. Army TACOM / Marine Corps Logistics Command vehicle records, VA service-connection disability records, and industry-publication histories. Product and company references reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed litigation. This page does not constitute a finding of liability against any company. Not legal advice; consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Army and Marine veterans should pursue VA service-connected disability benefits in addition to any civil litigation.