Altec Exterior Lighting: Brake Lights

Altec is recalling about 156 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. If the brake lights incorrectly illuminate, it can confuse other drivers, possibly increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
18V873000
Manufacturer
Altec Industries Inc.
Reported
7 December 2018
Vehicles
156
Built between
Nov 2017 – May 2018
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
7 February 2019
Repaired
4%
Unrepaired
150

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between November 2017 and May 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2017-2018 Altec Aerial DeviceBuilt November 2017 to May 2018
  • 2017-2018 Altec Digger DerrickBuilt November 2017 to May 2018
  • 2017-2018 Altec Service BodyBuilt November 2017 to May 2018

Repair progress

150 of 156 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2020.

4% repaired — 6 of 156 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

Altec Industries, Inc is recalling certain 2017-2018 Digger Derrick, Aerial Devices, and Service Body vehicles, equipped with Whelen accessory brake lights. Depending on the specific wiring of the vehicle, these brake lights may illuminate when the brake pedal has not been pressed. As such these vehicles fail to comply to with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

What could happen

If the brake lights incorrectly illuminate, it can confuse other drivers, possibly increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Altec will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake lights, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 2017 to May 2018
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA7 December 2018
  3. Owners notified7 February 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ2 2020 — 4% 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 7 December 2018.

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 Altec customer service at 1-877-462-5832. Altec's number for this recall is CSN 708.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
CSN 708
Recalling manufacturer
Altec Industries Inc.
Safety standard
FMVSS 108
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