- Vehicles
- 2,783
- Built between
- Apr 2011 – Mar 2017
- Models
- 6
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 24 March 2017
- Repaired
- 81%
- Unrepaired
- 251
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 2011 and March 2017. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2011-2017 Spartan GladiatorBuilt April 2011 to March 2017
- 2012-2018 Spartan K2Built April 2011 to March 2017
- 2011-2018 Spartan K3Built April 2011 to March 2017
- 2017-2018 Spartan K4Built April 2011 to March 2017
- 2016-2017 Spartan MetrostarBuilt April 2011 to March 2017
- 2011-2017 Spartan MMBuilt April 2011 to March 2017
Repair progress
251 of 2,783 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2018.
81% repaired — 2,258 of 2,783 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 274
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 USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Gladiator, 2016-2017 MetroStar, 2012-2018 K2, 2011-2018 K3, 2017-2018 K4, and 2011-2017 MM vehicles. The ball joints on the independent front suspension (IFS) modules can loosen and separate, leading to a partial loss of steering.
What could happen
A separated ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will remove, clean, apply thread locker, and reinstall the properly torqued ball joint, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2017.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 2011 to March 2017
- Recall reported to NHTSA13 March 2017
- Owners notified24 March 2017
- Latest repair reportQ2 2018 — 81% 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 13 March 2017.
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 customer service at 1-800-543-4277. Spartan's number for this recall is 17004.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 17004
- Recalling manufacturer
- Spartan Motors USA
- 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.