The defect
Spartan Fire, LLC (Spartan Fire) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Gladiator, MetroStar, FC-94, and KME Panther emergency vehicles. The tie rod clamps may have been improperly heat-treated, causing them to fail and allowing the tie rods to separate.
The risk
Tie rod separation can result in a sudden loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the tie rod clamps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 2, 2022. Owners may contact Spartan Fire's customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan Fire's number for this recall is 22007.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| KME Panther | 2021 |
| KME Redundant Panther | 2022, 2023 |
| Spartan Fire FC-94 | 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Spartan Fire Gladiator | 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Spartan Fire Metrostar | 2021, 2022, 2023 |
Components: STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| KME Panther | 2021 | 0 | 3 |
| KME Redundant Panther | 2022 | 0 | 5 |
| KME Redundant Panther | 2023 | 0 | 6 |
| Spartan Fire FC-94 | 2021 | 0 | 5 |
| Spartan Fire FC-94 | 2022 | 0 | 8 |
| Spartan Fire FC-94 | 2023 | 0 | 9 |
| Spartan Fire Gladiator | 2021 | 0 | 16 |
| Spartan Fire Gladiator | 2022 | 0 | 12 |
| Spartan Fire Gladiator | 2023 | 0 | 11 |
| Spartan Fire Metrostar | 2021 | 0 | 17 |
| Spartan Fire Metrostar | 2022 | 0 | 13 |
| Spartan Fire Metrostar | 2023 | 0 | 12 |
Other steering recalls in 2022
70 of the 933 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2022 concerned the steering; Spartan Fire, LLC filed 29 campaigns in all.
| 22V943000 20 Dec 2022 | New Flyer of America, Inc. |
| 22V936000 16 Dec 2022 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| 22V916000 12 Dec 2022 | East Manufacturing Corp. |
| 22V906000 8 Dec 2022 | Kia America, Inc. |
| 22V892000 2 Dec 2022 | Pierce Manufacturing |
| 22V890000 2 Dec 2022 | Newmar Corporation |
| 22V879000 29 Nov 2022 | Alexis Fire Equipment Company |
| 22V871000 23 Nov 2022 | Marion Body Works Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2022