- Vehicles
- 544
- Built between
- Aug 2007 – Mar 2019
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 27 May 2019
- Repaired
- 3%
- Unrepaired
- 527
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 2007 and March 2019. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2014-2018 Ford TransitBuilt August 2014 to March 2019
- 2014-2019 Ram PromasterBuilt August 2007 to March 2019
Repair progress
527 of 544 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2020.
3% repaired — 17 of 544 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
New England Wheels (New England) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and 2014-2019 Ram Promaster 2500 and 3500 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Go-ES Foldaway seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.
What could happen
In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
What gets fixed
New England has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs to the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 2007 to March 2019
- Recall reported to NHTSA29 April 2019
- Owners notified27 May 2019
- Latest repair reportQ1 2020 — 3% 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 29 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 Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or New England at 1-800-886-9247.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 18E-076
- Recalling manufacturer
- New England Wheels
- 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.