In a news release Saturday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Pierce Manufacturing is recalling certain 2011 emergency vehicles due to a fault in the engine cooling system, which poses a vehicle-fire hazard.
Subject to recall are 18 vehicles from the 2011 Arrow XT, Custom Contender, Dash CF, Impel, Saber, and Velocity models of fire truck. A T-bolt in the V-clamp assembly, which connects the inlet and outlet cone sections to the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC)/diesel particulate filter (DPF), has the potential to fail under stress or load. If the T-bolt fractures or fails, the clamp could loosen, causing the inlet or outlet sections to disconnect from the DOC/DPF housing. The disconnection could lead to hot exhaust gasses venting prior to exiting the vehicle’s tailpipe, posing the risk of combustion and fire. Additionally, if both clamps fail, in some cases, the DOC/DPF housing may completely detach, which could cause a road hazard.
The affected emergency vehicles were manufactured from January 24, 2011 through April 19, 2011, and are outfitted with a Cummins ISB, ISX, ISC or ISL diesel engine. Pierce is working with Cummins in the effort to notify owners affected by the recall, which was expected to begin this month. Authorized Cummins dealers will perform needed repairs on the affected vehicles at no charge to vehicle owners.
I hope no one has been harmed as a result of the fault with the engine cooling system. As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I encourage owners to have the affected emergency vehicles inspected and, if necessary, repaired as soon as possible.
