Seat beltsRecall 14V-455 · Kme vehicles
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. recall 14V-455 covers 10 Kme vehicles for a seat belts problem, reported to NHTSA on July 25, 2014. The manufacturer's latest report (2016 Q4) shows 100% of affected vehicles repaired.
Source: NHTSA recall 14V455000 and manufacturer quarterly reports. Started by an NHTSA defect investigation.
The problem
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (Kovatch) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Predator and 2014 Panther fire fighting vehicles manufactured October 2013 to March 2014, and 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 fix
Kovatch will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt buckle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Owners may contact Kovatch at 1-800-235-3926. Kovatch's number for this campaign is 2014-SR01.
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.
Recall repairs are free. Confirm whether this recall is open on your vehicle by entering its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
How fast cars are being fixed
100%repaired
Share of affected vehicles repaired in each quarterly report the manufacturer filed with NHTSA.
Vehicles in this recall
Built from October 1, 2013 to March 30, 2014. Not every vehicle in these model years is included; check by VIN.
The investigation behind this recall
- Seat Belt May Be Difficult to UnfastenNHTSA