2004–2016 Spartan Gladiator Recall: Air brakes on these vehicles may have excessive actuation and release…
NHTSA campaign 16V448000 · Service Brakes, Air · filed Jun 20, 2016 · verified Jul 30, 2026
The defect
Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2004-2016 Gladiator tractor-drawn aerial emergency vehicles manufactured September 12, 2004, to September 30, 2015. The air brakes on these vehicles may have excessive actuation and release timing, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
The risk
If a longer distance is needed to stop the vehicle there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →The fix — what to do
Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles with a new 3/8" control line, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is 16017.
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.
Affected vehicles
Related recalls
More Spartan Gladiator recalls
- 2019–2020 Spartan Gladiator — Wireless remote controller's sleep mode is disabled, and…
- 2019–2020 Spartan Gladiator and 1 other model — Park brake control line may loosen and possibly come out…
- 2019–2020 Spartan Gladiator and 1 other model — Park brake control line may loosen and possibly come out…
- 2019–2020 Spartan Gladiator and 1 other model — Park brake control line may loosen and separate, possibly…
- 2018–2019 Spartan Gladiator and 1 other model — Brake relay valve may have an air flow restriction, which…
Other campaigns involving Spartan vehicles
Source: NHTSA recall database, campaign 16V448000 (manufacturer number 16017). Data last verified Jul 30, 2026.