- Vehicles
- 200
- Built between
- Nov 2017 – Dec 2018
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 1 May 2019
- Repaired
- 37%
- Unrepaired
- 126
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between November 2017 and December 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2017-2019 Lifeline Type IBuilt November 2017 to December 2018
- 2017-2019 Lifeline Type IIIBuilt November 2017 to December 2018
Repair progress
126 of 200 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2020.
37% repaired — 74 of 200 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
Life Line Emergency Vehicles (Life Line) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Type I and Type III ambulances built on Ford F-Series, Ford E-Series, Freightliner, Chevrolet Cutaway G-Series, Dodge Chassis Cab, Navistar and Kenworth chassis, equipped with Whelen accessory brake lights. Depending on the specific wiring of the vehicle, the brake lights may falsely illuminate even without the brake pedal being pressed.
What could happen
If the brake lights falsely illuminate, other drivers could become confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Life Line will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lights, free of charge. The recall began May 1, 2019.
Parts involved
- Brake tail lightBTTVehicle brake light
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtNovember 2017 to December 2018
- Recall reported to NHTSA31 January 2019
- Owners notified1 May 2019
- Latest repair reportQ3 2020 — 37% 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 31 January 2019.
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 Life Line customer service at 1-563-578-3317, extension 132.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Life Line Emergency Vehicles
- 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.