Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Predator SS Rescue, 2017 Predator Emergency Tractor, 2014-2020 Predator Panther Pumper, 2013-2017 Predator Pumper, 2014 Predator Rescue, and 2013-2020 Predator SS Pumper vehicles. The welds that attach the suspension mounts and torque rod mounts to the rear axle may have been insufficiently welded, possibly causing the welds to break.
Safety risk
Broken welds may cause the mounts to separate from the axle, resulting in loss of control of the vehicle, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
KME will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds, and repair any defects found, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2021. Owners may contact KME customer service at 1-800-235-3928.
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2017-2020 Commercial Pumper and Predator SS Rescue, 2018 Predator Panther Pumper and Commercial Skid, 2018-2020 Predator SS Aerial, 2020 Predator Panther Tanker, 2016 Predator Panther Aerial and Commercial Rescue, 2015-2019 Commercial Tanker, 2018-2019 Commercial Wildland, 2017 Predator SS Chassis and 2018-2021 Predator SS Pumper vehicles equipped with certain Code 3 7x9 Stop-Tail-Turn Reverse All-in-One LED stop, tail, turn, and reverse lights. The lights may be too bright, exceeding the maximum light output allowed which may adversely affect the vision of drivers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Safety risk
The excessive brightness may affect the vision of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
KME will notify owners, and dealers will instruct vehicle owners to contact Code 3 to obtain a filter kit (Part No. CZ0199), free of charge. The recall began October 9, 2020. Owners may contact KME customer service at 1-800-235-3928.
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Predator SS Pumper, 2015 Predator SS Aerial, and 2015-2018 Predator SS TDA emergency response vehicles. The battery packs for the Pelican 9410 and 9415 flashlights may explode while charging.
Safety risk
A battery pack explosion may increase the risk of an injury.
Manufacturer remedy
KME will notify the affected owners and will arrange for the return and repair of the flashlight batteries. The recall March 19, 2020. Owners may contact KME customer service at 1-800-235-3928.
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Predator Rescue, SS Rescue, SS Aerial, Aerial, SS TDA and Tanker and Predator Panther Rescue and Aerial, 2016-2020 Predator Panther Pumper and Predator SS Pumper, 2017-2020 Predator Panther Tanker and Predator Pumper, 2017 Predator SS Tanker and 2017-2018 Predator TDA. In the event of a hydraulic system failure while raising or lowering the cab, the hydraulic velocity fuses may not activate and lock the cab in place to prevent the cab from quickly closing.
Safety risk
If the velocity fuses do not activate and stop the cab from lowering, the cab may hit occupants working underneath, increasing the risk of an injury.
Manufacturer remedy
KME will notify owners, and dealers will replace the velocity fuses for each cab lift cylinder, free of charge. The recall began August 29, 2019. Owners may contact KME customer service at 1-800-235-3928.
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2017 Commercial Rescue, 2014-2019 Predator Panther Pumper, Commercial Pumper and Predator SS Pumper, 2012-2019 Predator Pumper, 2015-2019 Commercial Wildland, 2018 Predator Rescue and 2016 Predator SS Wildland vehicles. The lock for the gas springs that support the sliding, lift-up cover may be unintentionally disabled, preventing the lock from engaging.
Safety risk
If the lock is not engaged, the sliding, lift-up cover may fall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury to personnel working under the cover.
Manufacturer remedy
KME will notify owners, and dealers will replace the gas springs on the sliding, lift-up cover with new gas springs with an alternative locking mechanism or new gas springs without a locking mechanism and a separate stay arm, free of charge. The recall began May 23, 2019. Owners may contact KME customer service at 1-800-235-3928.
Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. (KME) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Commercial Pumper, Commercial Rescue, Commercial Tanker, Commercial Wildland, 2018-2019 Predator Aerial, Predator Panther Pumper, Predator Pumper, Predator Rescue, Predator SS Pumper, Predator Tanker, 2018 Predator Panther Aerial, Predator Panther Tanker, Predator SS Aerial, Predator SS TDA, and Predator TDA vehicles equipped with Whelen accessory brake lights. Depending on the specific wiring of the vehicle, these brake lights may illuminate when the brake pedal has not been pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Safety risk
If the brake lights incorrectly illuminate, it can confuse other drivers, possibly increasing the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
KME will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake lights, free of charge. The recall began November 2, 2018. Owners may contact KME customer service at 1-800-235-3928.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
No complaints recorded for this model year.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.