Spartan Motors, Inc.: Seat Belts
Spartan Motors, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 6, 2013 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 3. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan Chassis) is recalling certain model year 2002 MetroStar, 2009 Gladiator, and 2013 Gladiator emergency response vehicles equipped with IMMI-brand L9 seat belt buckles. When the button is pressed to release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, making the seat belt difficult to unlatch. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
The risk
If the latch plate remains partially engaged after the button is pressed, egress from the vehicle could be hindered which would increase the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
The remedy
Spartan Chassis will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt buckles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2014. Owners may contact Spartan at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan Chassis' number for this recall is 13026.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Spartan Gladiator | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Spartan Gladiator | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Spartan Metrostar | 0 | 6 | 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 13V613000.
Full record for the 2013 Spartan Gladiator → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →