- Vehicles
- 597
- Built between
- Jan 1996 – Apr 2004
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 14 May 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1996 and April 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996-2004 Sutphen ChassisBuilt January 1996 to April 2004
What the defect is
On certain emergency/fire/rescue single and tandem axle chassis, the brake air lines may have been incorrectly routed.
What could happen
If the primary system malfunctioned to the point of complete failure, the improper routing would cause the rear brakes to become disabled thus requiring the vehicle to stop using only the front brakes, which could increase the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND CORRECT THE ROUTING OF THE BRAKE LINES. SUTPHEN HAS INSPECTED AND CORRECTED ALL VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1996 to April 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA7 June 2004
- Owners notified14 May 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 7 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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- SUTPHEN CORP.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 121
- 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
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.