2014 Spartan METROSTAR: complaints, problems and recalls

Reported: 2014-08-18 (August 18, 2014)

Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Gladiator emergency vehicles, 2013-2014 Metrostar emergency vehicles, 2015 motorhome chassis, and 2015 school buses chassis. The Cummins ISB or ISL engines in these vehicles may have been equipped with Fleetguard UFF-XT fuel filters, part number FF63009, whose filter shell may separate from the fuel filter nut plate causing the engine to stall without warning.

Consequence: If the engine stalls unexpectedly, there is an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan has notified the final stage manufacturers, and Cummins will replace the affected fuel filters, free of charge. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Owners may also contact Cummins customer service at 1-800-223-4583.

Reported: 2014-08-20 (August 20, 2014)

Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Gladiator, and 2011 and 2013-2014 MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured June 15, 2011, to January 14, 2014. The affected vehicles are equipped with a pressure governor or hand throttle supplied by Fire Research Corporation (FRC). Due to an issue with the software for the pressure governor or hand throttle, the affected vehicles may experience an engine surge.

Consequence: A surge in engine speed can cause increased water pressure at the end of a fire hose, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will install a software update, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 14013.

Reported: 2014-10-08 (October 8, 2014)

Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured February 18, 2013, to August 5, 2014. The seats in the affected vehicles have seats belts that may be too long to fit smaller occupants. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence: If the seat belt does not properly fit the seat occupant, the seat occupant has an increased risk of being injured in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan has notified owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt buckle, with a shorter belt buckle, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2014. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 14019.

Reported: 2014-11-24 (November 24, 2014)

Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Gladiator, DR, K2, K3, MetroStar, MM, and NVS vehicles manufactured December 14, 2011, to October 21, 2014, equipped with certain Wabco Quick Release Valves with Double Check. In the affected valves, the rubber diaphragm may be damaged by sharp edges on the valve seat ribs, reducing the available air pressure in the air tanks.

Consequence: The reduced air pressure levels may reduce braking performance and/or the parking brakes could reapply, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the valve, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 14021.

Reported: 2014-12-23 (December 23, 2014)

Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Gladiator, K2, K3, MetroStar, and MM motorhome and emergency response chassis cabs manufactured November 28, 2012, to October 15, 2013. The castle nuts for the steering linkage may loosen, allowing the steering linkage to separate.

Consequence: If the steering linkage separates, a loss of steering control would occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the castle nuts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 14023.

Reported: 2015-06-24 (June 24, 2015)

Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Furion, Gladiator, and Metrostar emergency response vehicles manufactured November 10, 2009, to June 16, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the engine cooling fan may crack and the fan blades may detach while the fan is spinning.

Consequence: If the cab is raised, such as during a repair, and the engine cooling fan is operating and comes apart, those in close proximity could be injured from the shattered parts.

Remedy: Spartan will notify the vehicle manufacturers that purchased the affected emergency vehicle chassis, and their dealers will install a new engine cooling fan, free of charge. The recall began on August 19, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 15011.

Reported: 2015-07-15 (July 15, 2015)

Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2007-2015 Advantage, Diamond, Gladiator, and MetroStar emergency response vehicles manufactured January 18, 2007 to February 9, 2015. The front wheels of the affected vehicles have valve stems that may rub against the brake caliper.

Consequence: If the valve stems rub against the brake caliper, a hole may develop causing the tire to deflate suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front wheel valve stems and replace any that have wear marks, free of charge. The recall began on September 2, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 15012.

Reported: 2015-08-25 (August 25, 2015)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured March 4, 2013, to December 17, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the front splay rails may crack.

Consequence: If the front splay rails crack, they may separate, causing the cab to collapse when it is being raised, increasing the risk of injury to those nearby.

Remedy: Spartan will replace the splay rails with new splay rails with certified welds, free of charge. An interim notification was mailed to owners on September 24, 2015. The recall began on October 31, 2016. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 15019.

Reported: 2015-09-28 (September 28, 2015)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2014 MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured January 5, 2015, to March 9, 2015, and equipped with a fire pump and a Hale Products K-Gearbox. The K-Gearbox transmission in the affected vehicles may unexpectedly shift to neutral while traveling to or from a fire.

Consequence: If the vehicle unexpectedly shifts to neutral on the way to attend a fire, the delay may hinder fire fighting efforts. Additionally, the loss of drive may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will remove the gearbox, send it to Hale for repairs and then reinstall it once it has been fixed. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-867-6478. Spartan's number for this recall is 15021.

Reported: 2015-11-10 (November 10, 2015)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MetroStar Chassis cabs built for Emergency Response use and ILAV Chassis cabs for Department of Defense use, manufactured December 9, 2014 to June 3, 2015 and equipped with certain drive axles manufactured by Marmon-Herrington. The affected axles have hex nuts on the flange yoke that may not have been properly tightened.

Consequence: If the hex nuts are not tightened to specification, the driveshaft may disconnect from the drive axle, resulting in a loss of propulsion and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and dealers will inspect the hex nuts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 16, 2015. Owners may contact Marmon Herrington customer service at 1-517-543-6400 or contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-4277.

Reported: 2016-03-08 (March 8, 2016)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured from November 18, 2014, through July 9, 2015. Under certain conditions, the fire-suppression-agent tank level pressure sensor may register an incorrect reading. This may result in the reading to indicate more agent (typically water or fire fighting foam) left in the tank than actually is.

Consequence: If there is an incorrect reading of agent in the tank, it can increase the risk of injury to the fire fighter if the tank unexpectedly runs out of agent.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the tank level system or supply a new sensor, free of charge. The recall began on March 30, 2016. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 16003.

Reported: 2016-09-19 (September 19, 2016)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2010-2017 Emergency Response K3, Metrostar, and Gladiator emergency response chassis cabs and motor home chassis manufactured April 12, 2010, to August 31, 2016. The affected vehicles have a power steering pump that may have an occasional loss of output power resulting in reduced or intermittent loss of power steering assist.

Consequence: An intermittent loss of power steering assist could increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering pumps, free of charge. The recall began on October 11, 2016. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 16022.

Reported: 2017-05-01 (May 1, 2017)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency response vehicles equipped with a supplemental park brake system (SPBS). The directions to activate the SPBS incorrectly state to "Pull" the actuation knob, when it should say "Push."

Consequence: If the operator follows the incorrect directions and believes that the supplemental front park brake is applied when it is not, the vehicle may unexpectedly roll, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and supply a new actuator control knob with the correct directions, free of charge. The recall began on May 22, 2017. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for this recall is 17009.

Reported: 2017-11-16 (November 16, 2017)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling 2014-2017 Spartan Gladiator and MetroStar emergency response vehicles equipped with Hale pressure relief valves in the water pumps used for fire fighting. Rings securing the valves may corrode over time after exposure to water, causing the ring to fail and the pressure relief valve to open, reducing the water pressure available for fire fighting.

Consequence: A reduction in water pressure may hinder fire fighting efforts, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and Hale service providers will install a remedy kit, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2017. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008 or Hale customer service at 1-800-533-3569. Spartan's number for this recall is 17028.

Reported: 2018-05-29 (May 29, 2018)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2001-2018 Spartan Gladiator, Diamond, MetroStar, and Advantage emergency response vehicles. The affected vehicles may not be equipped with a pressure protection valve installed between the air reservoir and the lubrication control module. If the air line were to become disconnected between the lubrication control module and the air reservoir, a loss of air to the air brake system could occur. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."

Consequence: A loss of air to the air brake system could increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and install a pressure protection valve, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 18017.

Reported: 2018-06-25 (June 25, 2018)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2009-2018 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency vehicles. The fire water pump solenoid may corrode internally, causing a loss of power to the pump control module.

Consequence: A loss of power to the pump control module can cause a loss of water pressure for fighting fires, thereby increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the solenoids, free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 18019.

Reported: 2018-10-03 (October 3, 2018)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2001-2019 Spartan MetroStar and Gladiator emergency vehicles. The mounting fasteners for the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) cabinets may not be the correct size, allowing the cabinets to break free from their mountings in the event of a crash.

Consequence: If the EMS cabinets become loose during a crash, the cabinets may become projectiles, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the incorrect size fasteners with the correct fasteners, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 18030.

Reported: 2018-12-26 (December 26, 2018)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Emergency Response Gladiator and Metro Star vehicles built into fire apparatus and equipped with tandem axles, drum brakes at the rear axles and Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Vehicles with this configuration may have a delay in their brake release, preventing them from complying with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."

Consequence: A delay in the brakes releasing may hinder vehicle movement, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will re-route a portion of the brake system to bring the vehicle into compliance, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 18038.

Reported: 2019-07-12 (July 12, 2019)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Emergency Response Gladiator and MetroStar vehicles equipped with an independent front suspension and Koni shocks. The front shocks may separate from their upper mount on the front suspension. The loose shock may contact and damage the steering gear housing, possibly causing a steering fluid leak and a loss of power steering assist.

Consequence: A loss of power steering assist increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will install new shock bolts, and shims if necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 19015.

Reported: 2019-09-23 (September 23, 2019)

Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2004-2020 Emergency Response Gladiator and Spartan vehicles equipped with a pneumatically-controlled automatic tire chain system. The air pressure control lines may not be pressure-protected. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."

Consequence: Without the control line being pressure-protected, in the event the control line is severed, air may suddenly be lost from the service reservoir system, causing the brakes to apply unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the control lines, rerouting them into the auxiliary air reservoir as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2019. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 19017.

Reported: 2019-11-19 (November 19, 2019)

Marion Body Works Inc. (Marion Body Works) is recalling certain 2005-2020 Emergency Response Gladiator and Metrostar vehicles equipped with pneumatically-controlled automatic tire chain systems. The air pressure control lines may not be pressure-protected.

Consequence: Without the control line being pressure-protected, in the event the control line is severed, air may suddenly be lost from the service reservoir system, causing the brakes to apply unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Marion Body Works will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the control lines, rerouting them into the auxiliary air reservoir as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 22, 2019. Owners may contact Marion Body Works customer service at 1-715-754-5261 or Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008.