The defect
Vac-Tron Equipment, LLC (Vac-Tron), a subsidiary of Vermeer Manufacturing Company (Vermeer), is recalling certain 2016-2020 CS500DT, CS570GT, CS573GT, CS800DT, CS800GT, CS1270GT, CS1270SGT, and CS1273GT Vacuum Excavator trailers. The rear most extremity extends too far beyond the rear of the trailer frame, reducing impact protection. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 224, "Rear Impact Protection."
The risk
In the event of a rear impact crash, the other vehicle can travel under the rear of the vacuum excavator, increasing the risk of serious injury or death to someone in the other vehicle.
The remedy
Vac-Tron will notify owners, and Vermeer dealers will install remedy kits provided by Vac-Tron, free of charge. The 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 VVK0008.
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 1270 SGT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1273 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 500 DT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 570 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 573 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 800 DT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| VAC-Tron CS 800 GT | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
Components: STRUCTURE
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 1270 SGT | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 SGT | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 SGT | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 SGT | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 1270 SGT | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
| 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 500 DT | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 500 DT | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 500 DT | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 500 DT | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 500 DT | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 570 GT | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 570 GT | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 570 GT | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 570 GT | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 570 GT | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 573 GT | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 573 GT | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 573 GT | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 573 GT | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| VAC-Tron CS 573 GT | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
Other structure recalls in 2020
46 of the 782 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2020 concerned the structure; Vac-Tron Equipment, LLC filed 15 campaigns in all.
| 20V784000 16 Dec 2020 | Aston Martin The Americas |
| 20V772000 11 Dec 2020 | Daimler Vans USA, LLC |
| 20V744000 1 Dec 2020 | Vac-Tron Equipment, LLC |
| 20V715000 18 Nov 2020 | Keystone RV Company |
| 20V710000 17 Nov 2020 | Tesla, Inc. |
| 20V658000 27 Oct 2020 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 20V643000 19 Oct 2020 | Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC |
| 20V623000 8 Oct 2020 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2020