The defect
Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. (Smeal) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Smeal Aerial and Pumper fire trucks manufactured July 16, 2015, to August 1, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with certain C20 and C21 split-shaft transmissions from Waterous. This transmission sends power to the wheels of an emergency response vehicle or powers an add-on unit such as a water pump used for fighting fires. A component within the shift unit may be damaged and as a result, the operator may not be able to switch the power output.
The risk
If the power output cannot be changed, once the fire truck arrives at the scene, it may not be able to pump water to aid in extinguishing the fire, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will remove the shift unit assembly and replace the clevis pin and retaining rings, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2016. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-877-415-8628.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Smeal Aerial | 2015 |
| Smeal Aerial Fire Apparatus | 2016 |
| Smeal Pumper | 2015, 2016 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smeal Aerial | 2015 | 0 | 6 |
| Smeal Aerial Fire Apparatus | 2016 | 0 | 4 |
| Smeal Pumper | 2015 | 0 | 2 |
| Smeal Pumper | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
Other power train recalls in 2016
57 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the power train; Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. filed 3 campaigns in all.
| 16V926000 22 Dec 2016 | Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. |
| 16V900000 14 Dec 2016 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 16V856000 28 Nov 2016 | Maserati North America, Inc. |
| 16V800000 3 Nov 2016 | Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA |
| 16V755000 19 Oct 2016 | Polaris Industries, Inc. |
| 16V705000 3 Oct 2016 | Kia Motors America |
| 16V701000 29 Sept 2016 | Gillig LLC |
| 16V697000 27 Sept 2016 | Eldorado National- California, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016