The defect
Excellance, Inc. (Excellance) is recalling certain 2018 Ambulances and Emergency Vehicles built on Ford E-350, E-450, F-650, F-550 4x4, Chevrolet G4500, G4500 Diesel, C3500, G3500, Freightliner M2, International 4300, and Dodge 4500 chassis and equipped with Whelen brake lights. Depending on the specific wiring of the vehicle, these brake lights may illuminate when the brake pedal has not been pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
If the brake lights incorrectly illuminate, it can confuse other drivers, possibly increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Excellance has notified owners, instructing them to contact Whelen to have the brake lights replaced, free of charge. The recall began on March 21, 2019. Owners may contact Whelen customer service at 1-860-718-2331 or Execellance at 1-256-772-9321.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet C3500 | 2018 |
| Chevrolet G4500 | 2018 |
| Ford E-350 | 2018 |
| Ford E-450 | 2018 |
| Ford F-550 | 2018 |
| Ford F-650 SD | 2018 |
| Freightliner M2 | 2018 |
| International 4300 | 2018 |
| Ram 4500 | 2018 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet C3500 | 2018 | 0 | 1 |
| Chevrolet G4500 | 2018 | 1 | 2 |
| Ford E-350 | 2018 | 3 | 4 |
| Ford E-450 | 2018 | 5 | 4 |
| Ford F-550 | 2018 | 8 | 10 |
| Ford F-650 SD | 2018 | 0 | 5 |
| Freightliner M2 | 2018 | 0 | 4 |
| International 4300 | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| Ram 4500 | 2018 | 9 | 7 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2019
74 of the 880 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2019 concerned the exterior lighting; Excellance, Inc filed 3 campaigns in all.
| 19V895000 16 Dec 2019 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 19V878000 11 Dec 2019 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 19V850000 27 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 19V839000 21 Nov 2019 | Ford Motor Company |
| 19V816000 15 Nov 2019 | Newmar Corporation |
| 19V808000 12 Nov 2019 | Ford Motor Company |
| 19V799000 7 Nov 2019 | Thor Motor Coach |
| 19V795000 6 Nov 2019 | Blue Bird Body Company |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2019