Seat Belts

NHTSA recall 14V455000 · announced July 25, 2014 · filed by Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. · 10 units affected

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.

What to do

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.

Notes

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.

Vehicles covered by this recall

• 2013 Kme Panther
• 2014 Kme Panther
• 2013 Kme Predator
• 2014 Kme Predator

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public recall data. This page reports official records and is not legal, medical, or repair advice.