- Vehicles
- 216
- Built between
- Jan 1997 – Nov 2016
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 January 2017
- Repaired
- 48%
- Unrepaired
- 113
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1997 and November 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-2015 Smeal AerialBuilt January 1997 to November 2016
- 2016 Smeal Aerial Fire ApparatusBuilt January 1997 to November 2016
Repair progress
113 of 216 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2018.
48% repaired — 103 of 216 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
Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. (Smeal) is recalling certain model year 1997-2016 Rear Mount Aerial Platform Apparatus emergency vehicles manufactured January 1, 1997, to November 30, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a movable ladder access guardrail that may bend or break under heavy loads.
What could happen
A guardrail that bends or breaks under load can increase the risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will add a support to the opposite side of the guardrail, free of charge. The recall began on January 11, 2017.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1997 to November 2016
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 December 2016
- Owners notified11 January 2017
- Latest repair reportQ2 2018 — 48% 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 9 December 2016.
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 Smeal customer service at 1-877-415-8628.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., 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.