The defect
Marion Body Works Inc. (Marion) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Spartan Fire Gladiator, MetroStar, FC-94 and KME Panther fire trucks. 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 both tie rod clamps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 13, 2022. Owners may contact Marion's customer service at 1-715-754-5261. Marion's number for this recall is 22V-778.
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; Marion Body Works Inc. filed 18 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 |
| 22V845000 15 Nov 2022 | Nova Bus (US) Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2022