- Vehicles
- 456
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 31 March 2021
- Repaired
- 30%
- Unrepaired
- 320
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.
- 2015-2021 Ditch Witch 025-1020
- 2015 Ditch Witch 745-7900
- 2008-2020 Ditch Witch S4S
- 2009-2019 Ditch Witch ZS6S
- 2010 Ditch Witch ZS6S-1
Repair progress
320 of 456 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2022.
30% repaired — 136 of 456 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
Charles Machine Works, Inc. (Charles Machine) is recalling certain 2008-2020 Ditch Witch S4S, 2015-2021 Ditch Witch 025-1020, 2015 Ditch Witch 745-7900, 2009-2019 Ditch Witch ZS6S, and 2010 Ditch Witch ZS6S-1 trailers designed for carrying the FX20 vacuum excavator. The trailers may be missing side reflex reflectors near the front of the trailer. As such, these trailers fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
What could happen
Without the proper reflective equipment, the vacuum excavator trailer may have reduced visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Charles Machine will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for side reflex reflectors, and add them as necessary, free of charge. The began on March 31, 2021.
Parts involved
- Amber Sae a DOT Reflector270-8482reflector (amber)
- Red Sae a DOT Reflector270-8483reflector (red)
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA15 March 2021
- Owners notified31 March 2021
- Latest repair reportQ4 2022 — 30% 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 15 March 2021.
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 Charles Machine customer service at 1-800-654-6481.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Charles Machine Works, 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.