Manual does not mention the problem in the parts that are readable. Lowes left it outside with the mower and it got rained on it seems. As far as craftsmanmowers.com, thank you for telling me about it. I have never heard of it before.Maybe it's just my crotchety a$$ today, but I find this post a little annoying given the circumstances. I mean, I'd at least exhaust resources in the manual and at craftsmanmowers.com before coming back to the people who gifted the thing to me.
But, good luck with it. Hopefully it's a knowledge problem rather than mechanical.
As far as coming back to the guys that bought it, I was hoping that someone was close, not busy and could help me lift the rear end and roll it into the garage before I had to leave but no one was so the wife and I did it. She is 75 and recovering from breaking a rib.