Your story is full of holes Dart4.... but you only kind of sorta maybe know what the recall entailed between the two different steering styles that were on that truck, but hey it is your story.

The “fix” for the rod nuts might be hokey, but they won’t loosen..... remember that the next time you’re flying down the freeway that their could be a vehicle near you that suddenly doesn’t have steering. And corporate tells the dealers what to do when recalls are issued.

A problem is found, NHTSA notifies manufacturer, manufacturer reviews and submits a “fix” to NHTSA for approval, once approved manufacturer notifies public (law) and then dealer network. It’s not uncommon for you to hear of a recall before the dealer.... stupid, but that’s how it is. Makes us look as dumb as you think we are.