STRUCTURE Recall: Safe Fleet - Crash or injury risk (Jun 2019)
Safe Fleet has issued a recall. Specialty Manufacturing Co. (Specialty) is recalling certain Prolo 24"x 24" roof hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release." If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
What you should do
- Read the official announcement for what to do. Contact a dealer to arrange the free repair.
- Specialty will provide vehicle manufacturers with replacement hatch handles, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Specialty customer service at 1-800-951-7867.
What happened
Specialty Manufacturing Co. (Specialty) is recalling certain Prolo 24"x 24" roof hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
Recall facts
- Manufacturer
- Safe Fleet
- Component
- STRUCTURE
- Vehicles affected
- 18,550
- NHTSA campaign
- 19E042000
- Severity
- High
From the official announcement
OMB Control No.: 2127-0004
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 19E-042
The information contained in this report was submitted pursuant to 49 CFR §573
Manufacturer Name : Specialty Manufacturing Co.
Submission Date :AUG 05, 2019
NHTSA Recall No. :19E-042
Manufacturer Recall No. : NR
Manufacturer Information :
Manufacturer Name :Specialty Manufacturing Co.
Address :13501 South Ridge Drive
Charlotte NC 28273
Company phone : 800-951-7867
Population :
Number of potentially involved : 18,550
Estimated percentage with defect :20 %
Equipment Information :
Brand / Trade 1 :Prolo
Model :
Prolo Roof Hatch
Part No. :92XX-XXXXX Series
Size :24" x 24"
Function :Roof Hatch
Descriptive Information :Fence posts for the population were determined by production dates of the roof
hatch assemblies along with receipt dates of suspect components from supplier.
Units not included in the recall were assembled using different production
batches of the cast zinc external release handle. The suspect production batch/
component lot was verified by inspection and testing of warehoused stock
corresponding to the production/receipt dates mentioned above as well as units
produced before and after the suspect date range. An estimated 18,550 hatches
were assembled using the suspect handles. This covers all 92XX-XXXXX Series
Series glass hatches produced between 8/1/18 and 5/20/19
Production Dates : AUG 01, 2018 - MAY 20, 2019
Description of Defect :
Description of the Defect : Prolo roof hatches (emergency exits) utilize a die cast zinc handle for the
external release handle. Certain production lots of these cast handles were
found to contain a higher than allowed/specified level of porosity or voids. The
excess porosity and voids can create failure points in the handle leading to
break…
Common questions
What is the danger?
If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
What should I do?
Specialty will provide vehicle manufacturers with replacement hatch handles, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Specialty customer service at 1-800-951-7867.
Where can I find more information?
Read the official NHTSA recall announcement, or browse all current vehicle recalls.