The defect
ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC (ARBOC) is recalling certain 2015-2018 ARBOC Spirit of Freedom, Spirit of Mobility and Spirit of Independence-Pro Master transit buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."
The risk
In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
ARBOC has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs of the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or ARBOC at 1-574-825-4880.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Arboc Spirit OF Freedom | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Independence | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Mobility | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| Arboc Specialty Vehicles Spirit OF Freedom | 2018 |
| Arboc Specialty Vehicles Spirit OF Mobility | 2018 |
Components: SEATS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arboc Spirit OF Freedom | 2015 | 0 | 2 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Freedom | 2016 | 0 | 1 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Freedom | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Independence | 2015 | 0 | 1 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Independence | 2016 | 0 | 1 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Independence | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Independence | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Mobility | 2015 | 0 | 3 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Mobility | 2016 | 0 | 1 |
| Arboc Spirit OF Mobility | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| Arboc Specialty Vehicles Spirit OF Freedom | 2018 | 0 | 3 |
| Arboc Specialty Vehicles Spirit OF Mobility | 2018 | 0 | 3 |
Other seats recalls in 2018
38 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the seats; ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC filed 17 campaigns in all.
| 18V939000 31 Dec 2018 | Arcimoto Inc |
| 18V924000 21 Dec 2018 | Collins Bus Corporation |
| 18V926000 18 Dec 2018 | Eldorado National- California, Inc. |
| 18V875000 7 Dec 2018 | Corp. Micro Bird Inc. |
| 18V846000 28 Nov 2018 | Blue Bird Body Company |
| 18V822000 20 Nov 2018 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 18V803000 14 Nov 2018 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 18V805000 14 Nov 2018 | Ford Motor Company |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018