Spartan Gladiator Recall: Battery Cable Chafing May Increase Fire Risk
Spartan Motors is recalling 2010-2019 Gladiator vehicles because a brittle battery cable sleeve can cause chafing and arcing, increasing the risk of a fire.
What this means for you
Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).
The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.
Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a defect that can increase the risk of a fire, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' or high-risk vehicle defects, warranting a Severe rating.
Plain-English summary
Spartan Motors USA is recalling certain 2010-2019 Spartan Emergency Response Gladiator vehicles. The recall involves 865 vehicles where the protective sleeve for the cable connecting the battery positive terminal to the alternator can become brittle. This brittleness allows the cable to chafe and arc.
If the battery positive cable arcs, it can increase the risk of a fire. No specific injuries or fatalities are reported in the source text, but the potential for fire is the primary safety concern.
Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will install brackets to move the cable away from any chafe points and replace any damaged battery positive cables free of charge. The recall began on August 27, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
The recalled product
- Product
- SPARTAN GLADIATOR
- Brand
- SPARTAN
- Manufacturer
- Spartan Motors USA
- Category
- Vehicle — Emergency Response
- Hazard
- Affected units
- 865
Is your product affected?
Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.
Model numbers (1)
- GLADIATOR
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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