NHTSA Campaign 14V455000

SEAT BELTS

Issued by Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. · Reported Jul 25, 2014 · 10 vehicles affected

What's wrong

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."

Consequence

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.

Remedy

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.

Vehicles affected by this recall

Make Model Year Units
KME PANTHER 2013 10
KME PANTHER 2014 10
KME PREDATOR 2013 10
KME PREDATOR 2014 10

Source: NHTSA Campaign 14V455000 on nhtsa.gov. To check the current repair status for a specific vehicle, use our free VIN decoder.