The problem
Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan Chassis) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Diamond, model year 2006-2010 Gladiator, model year 2009-2010 Metrostar and one model year 2007 Advantage emergency response vehicles manufactured December 22, 2005, through October 13, 2010, and equipped with independent front suspensions (IFS) by Ridgewell Corporation. In the affected vehicles, welds on the IFS cradles may crack.
The risk
Cracking of the welds could result in difficulty in steering the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Spartan Chassis will notify owners, and dealers will repair any cracks and install reinforcement brackets, free of charge. An interim notification will be sent in January 2014. A second notification will be sent when the remedy parts are available. Owners may contact Spartan at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 13028.
Contacts
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
What to do
- Check your VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it shows whether this recall applies to your vehicle and whether the repair has been done.
- Call a dealer. Any authorized Spartan dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 13V628000.
- Ask about parts and a loaner. If parts aren't available yet, ask what to do in the meantime.
- Keep your paperwork. If you paid for this repair before the recall, you may be able to get reimbursed - here's how.