Defect. Smeal Holding, LLC (Smeal) is recalling certain 2009-2020 Aerial Fire Apparatus vehicles equipped with a positional waterway trolley. If the operator attempts to both extend the ladder, and shift from one mode to the other at the same time, the locking tabs can be broken off the locking arms.
Risk. A damaged positional waterway trolley can become disconnected from the ladder and drop to the ground, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Remedy. Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the proximity switches for those units equipped with a positional waterway mode shift timer interlock system, free of charge. The recall began on March 25, 2021. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-800-867-6478.
Defect. Smeal Holding, LLC (Smeal) is recalling certain 2020 Aerial and Pumper vehicles, equipped with battery-powered 3600 wireless remote controller units used to control the movement of electric firefighting monitors in firefighting vehicles. The monitor is used to direct the water stream and adjust the spray pattern. The wireless remote controller's sleep mode is disabled, which results in the batteries discharging faster than normal.
Risk. Inability to use the wireless remote controller may hinder the firefighting efforts, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy. Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will ask the customer to return the affected controller to Akron Brass for a software update, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2021. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-800-867-6478. Smeal's number for this recall is 20-17.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Jan 28, 2021. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.