Matthews Specialty Vehicles: Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Matthews Specialty Vehicles reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 8, 2008 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 8. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
MATTHEWS IS RECALLING 8 MY 1998 BLUEBIRD, MY 2004 FORD E450, MY 2005-2006 THOMAS BUILT BUS, MY 2006 INTERNATIONAL BUS, MY 2007 CHEVROLET 5500, FREIGHTLINER AND DODGE SPRINTER TRUCKS, TRANSIT BUSES, AND SPECIALTY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH RICON PLATFORM STYLE WHEELCHAIR LIFTS. THESE LIFTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 403, "PLATFORM LIFT SYSTEM ACCESSIBLE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES." THE ANTI-STOW INTERLOCK MAY NOT DETECT THE PRESENCE OF A WHEELCHAIR OR MOBILITY AID USER. THE PRESSURE SENSING SWITCH THAT DETECTS THE PRESENCE OF WEIGHT ON THE PLATFORM WAS NOT ADJUSTED TO THE NECESSARY SENSITIVITY LEVEL. THE LIFT COULD STOW EVEN THOUGH SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IS STILL ON THE LIFT.
The risk
A LIFT OCCUPANT CAN BE INJURED SHOULD THE LIFT BEGIN TO STOW UNINTENTIONALLY.
The remedy
MATTHEWS IS WORKING WITH RICON TO CORRECT THE WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FREE OF CHARGE (PLEASE SEE 07E097). OWNERS MAY CONTACT RICON AT 1-818-267-3000 OR MATTEWS SPECIALTY AT 336-297-9600.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Chevrolet 5500 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Dodge Sprinter | 47 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Freightliner Book Mobile | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 International Bus | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Thomas Built Bus | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Thomas Built Bus | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Ford E-450 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird TC2000 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 08V526000.
Full record for the 2007 Chevrolet 5500 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →