- Vehicles
- 1,339
- Built between
- Jan 1997 – Jan 2004
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 October 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1997 and January 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-2004 American Lafrance EagleBuilt January 1997 to January 2004
- 1997-2002 American Lafrance MetropolitanBuilt January 1997 to January 2004
What the defect is
On certain fire trucks, one or both of the cab tilt cylinders may lock when the cab is being lowered. This can happen if a velocity fuse trips in either of the cylinders.
What could happen
If only one velocity fuse trips and not the other, the resulting unequal loading may cause one or both of the cylinders to bend allowing the cab to lower to the chassis.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL FLOW RESTRICTORS IN THE CAB TILT BLINDERS TO REDUCE THE SPEED AT WHICH THE CAB LOWERS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 11, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1997 to January 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 June 2004
- Owners notified11 October 2004
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 9 June 2004.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-427
- Recalling manufacturer
- FREIGHTLINER LLC
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Freightliner recall no. FL-427.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.