- Vehicles
- 3
- Built between
- Mar 2013 – Nov 2013
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 7 February 2014
- Repaired
- 33%
- Unrepaired
- 2
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2013 and November 2013. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2009, 2013 Spartan GladiatorBuilt March 2013 to November 2013
- 2002 Spartan MetrostarBuilt March 2013 to November 2013
Repair progress
2 of 3 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2015.
33% repaired — 1 of 3 reported
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan Chassis) is recalling certain model year 2002 MetroStar, 2009 Gladiator, and 2013 Gladiator emergency response vehicles equipped with IMMI-brand L9 seat belt buckles. When the button is pressed to release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, making the seat belt difficult to unlatch. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
What could happen
If the latch plate remains partially engaged after the button is pressed, egress from the vehicle could be hindered which would increase the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
What gets fixed
Spartan Chassis will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt buckles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2014.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2013 to November 2013
- Recall reported to NHTSA6 December 2013
- Owners notified7 February 2014
- Latest repair reportQ2 2015 — 33% repaired
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 6 December 2013.
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 may contact Spartan at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan Chassis' number for this recall is 13026.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 13026
- Recalling manufacturer
- Spartan Motors, Inc.
- 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
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.
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.