The defect
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (Kovatch) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Predator and 2014 Panther fire fighting vehicles manufactured October 2013 to March 2014, and equipped with IMMI-brand L9 seat belt buckles. When the button is pressed to release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, making the seat belt difficult to unlatch. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
The risk
If the latch plate remains partially engaged after the button is pressed, egress from the vehicle could be hindered which would increase the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
The remedy
Kovatch will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt buckle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Owners may contact Kovatch at 1-800-235-3926. Kovatch's number for this campaign is 2014-SR01.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| KME Panther | 2013, 2014 |
| KME Predator | 2013, 2014 |
Components: SEAT BELTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| KME Panther | 2013 | 0 | 3 |
| KME Panther | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
| KME Predator | 2013 | 5 | 6 |
| KME Predator | 2014 | 2 | 4 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2014
35 of the 770 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2014 concerned the seat belts; Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. filed 48 campaigns in all.
| 14V818000 24 Dec 2014 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 14V744000 21 Nov 2014 | Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. |
| 14V649000 17 Oct 2014 | Ford Motor Company |
| 14V643000 14 Oct 2014 | Chrysler Group LLC |
| 14V639000 10 Oct 2014 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) |
| 14V597000 26 Sept 2014 | Ford Motor Company |
| 14V553000 11 Sept 2014 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 14V488000 8 Aug 2014 | General Motors LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2014