KME Electrical System: Software

Kme is recalling about 20 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. The ladder speed accelerating without warning can increase the risk of injury to the ladder user or those nearby.

Campaign
17V504000
Manufacturer
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp.
Reported
14 August 2017
Vehicles
20
Built between
May 2012 – Nov 2016
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
3 October 2017
Repaired
95%
Unrepaired
1

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 2012 and November 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2012-2014 KME Predator AerialBuilt May 2012 to February 2014
  • 2014-2017 KME Predator SS AerialBuilt February 2013 to November 2016

Repair progress

1 of 20 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2019.

95% repaired — 19 of 20 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

Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Predator Aerial, and 2014-2017 Predator SS Aerial vehicles. A software error may cause the aerial ladder tip control speed to momentarily switch from 20 percent speed to 100 percent overall speed.

What could happen

The ladder speed accelerating without warning can increase the risk of injury to the ladder user or those nearby.

What gets fixed

KME will notify owners, and dealers will update the ladder speed software, free of charge. The recall began on October 3, 2017.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 2012 to November 2016
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA14 August 2017
  3. Owners notified3 October 2017
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2019 — 95% 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 14 August 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 KME customer service at 1-800-235-3926.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp.
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.

Same component

Same brand