Foundation Ambulance Exterior Lighting: Brake Lights

Foundation Ambulance is recalling about 28 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. If the brake lights incorrectly illuminate, it can confuse other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
19V128000
Manufacturer
Foundation Ambulance, Inc.
Reported
26 February 2019
Vehicles
28
Built between
Not published
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
21 March 2019
Repaired
100%
Unrepaired
0

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2017-2018 Foundation Ambulance Type I Ambulance
  • 2017-2018 Foundation Ambulance Type III Ambulance

Repair progress

The manufacturer reports every reachable vehicle in this recall has been repaired, as of Q3 2019.

100% repaired — 28 of 28 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

Foundation Ambulance, Inc. (Foundation Ambulance) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Type I and Type III Modular Body ambulances equipped with Whelen 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 with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

What could happen

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

What gets fixed

Foundation Ambulance has notified owners and will replace the Whelen lights, free of charge. The recall began March 21, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA26 February 2019
  2. Owners notified21 March 2019
  3. Latest repair reportQ3 2019 — 100% 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 26 February 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 Foundation Ambulance customer service at 1-678-826-2219.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Foundation Ambulance, 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.

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