Frontline Exterior Lighting: Brake Lights

Frontline is recalling about 4 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
19V280000
Manufacturer
Pierce Manufacturing
Reported
9 April 2019
Vehicles
4
Built between
Jun 2018 – Oct 2018
Models
4
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
23 April 2019
Repaired
100%
Unrepaired
0

Does this affect my vehicle?

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

  • 2018-2019 Frontline C-25Built June 2018 to October 2018
  • 2018-2019 Frontline C-35XBuilt June 2018 to October 2018
  • 2018-2019 Frontline C-45X-3Built June 2018 to October 2018
  • 2018-2019 Frontline Encore RescueBuilt June 2018 to October 2018

Repair progress

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

100% repaired — 4 of 4 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

Pierce Manufacturing (Pierce) is 2018-2019 Frontline C-35X, C-25, C-45X-3 and Encore Rescue vehicles 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, possibly increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Pierce has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace brake lights, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 23, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 2018 to October 2018
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA9 April 2019
  3. Owners notified23 April 2019
  4. 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 9 April 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 Whelen customer service at 1-860-718-2331 or Pierce at 1-888-974-3723. Pierce's number for this recall is FLCWBL0419.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
FLCWBL0419
Recalling manufacturer
Pierce Manufacturing
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