The defect
WHEN IN OPERATION, THE PRE-HEATER REQUIRES GOOD ENGINE GROUND. HOWEVER, THE ALTERNATORS ARE NOT GROUNDED THROUGH THE CASE, LIMITING THE GROUND FOR ENGINE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THE PRE-HEATER AMPERAGE CAN THEN GROUND TO THE STEEL BRAIDED AIR COMPRESSOR HOSE WHICH IS SECURED IN A RUBBER LINED CLIP. IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, THE CLIP CAN CONTACT THE FRAME RAIL CAUSING AN ARC.
The risk
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A HOLE TO BE BURNED THROUGH THE AIR LINE, PREVENTING THE AIR COMPRESSOR FROM DELIVERING SUFFICIENT AIR PRESSURE TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM REDUCING BRAKE CAPABILITY AND INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A 6 GAUGE GROUND CABLE BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND THE EXISTING STARTER GROUND CABLE LOCATED INSIDE THE FRAME RAIL.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Spartan IC Chassis | 1994, 1995 |
| Spartan Mountain Master | 1994, 1995 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spartan IC Chassis | 1994 | 1 | 1 |
| Spartan IC Chassis | 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| Spartan Mountain Master | 1994 | 0 | 2 |
| Spartan Mountain Master | 1995 | 1 | 4 |
Other electrical system recalls in 1995
20 of the 260 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1995 concerned the electrical system; SPARTAN MOTORS, INC. filed 45 campaigns in all.
| 95V237000 12 Dec 1995 | CHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 95V204000 23 Oct 1995 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 95V195001 11 Oct 1995 | TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD. |
| 95V193000 11 Oct 1995 | CHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 95V195002 11 Oct 1995 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 95V189000 2 Oct 1995 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 95V176000 15 Sept 1995 | NISSAN DIESEL AMERICA, INC |
| 95V170000 5 Sept 1995 | THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1995