The defect
Vac-Tron Equipment, LLC. (Vac-Tron), a subsidiary of Vermeer Manufacturing Company (Vermeer), is recalling certain 2016-2020 CS1273GT, CS870GT, CS1270GT, CS873GT, CV1273GT, CV1273SGT and LP1273XDT Vacuum Excavator trailers. The front clearance lamps may be positioned improperly and an insufficient amount of conspicuity tape may have been applied on the sides and rear. The trailers may also may also lack side or rear reflex reflectors. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
Due to the improper position of the lamps, insufficient reflective tape, and lack of reflectors, the vacuum excavator trailer may not be sufficiently visible during low visibility conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Vac-Tron will notify owners, and Vermeer dealers will install remedy kits provided by Vac-Tron, free of charge. This recall began July 14, 2020. Owners may contact Vac-Tron customer service at 1-888-822-8766. Vac-Tron's number for this recall is VVK0009.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 870 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 873 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 SGT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron LP 1273 XDT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 GT | 2016 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 GT | 2017 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 GT | 2018 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 GT | 2019 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 GT | 2020 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2016 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2017 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2018 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2019 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2020 | 0 | 4 |
| VAC-Tron CS 870 GT | 2016 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 870 GT | 2017 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 870 GT | 2018 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 870 GT | 2019 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 870 GT | 2020 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 873 GT | 2016 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 873 GT | 2017 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 873 GT | 2018 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 873 GT | 2019 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CS 873 GT | 2020 | 0 | 3 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 GT | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 GT | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 GT | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 GT | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 GT | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 SGT | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 SGT | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 SGT | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 SGT | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CV 1273 SGT | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2020
37 of the 782 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2020 concerned the exterior lighting; Vac-Tron Equipment, LLC filed 15 campaigns in all.
| 20V814000 28 Dec 2020 | Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA |
| 20V775000 11 Dec 2020 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| 20V737000 25 Nov 2020 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 20V704000 13 Nov 2020 | Zero Motorcycles Inc. |
| 20V698000 12 Nov 2020 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 20V609000 30 Sept 2020 | Tesla, Inc. |
| 20V612000 30 Sept 2020 | Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. |
| 20V584000 24 Sept 2020 | Navistar, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2020