THE BUCKLE COULD DETACH FROM THE CABLE, raises the risk of INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT IN A CRASH.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 8, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT UTILIMASTER AT 1-800-582-3454.
ON CERTAIN WALK-IN VANS EQUIPPED WITH SEAT BELT BUCKLES MANUFACTURED BY INDIANA MILLS & MANUFACTURING INC., AFTER REPEATED FLEXING, THE CABLE CAN FATIGUE AND FRAY AT THE POINT WHERE IT IS CRIMPED TO THE BUCKLE.
Serious18V377000
Seat Belts:Front:Retractor
Without retractors, the seat belts may not accommodate different size occupants, therefore the occupants may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, raises the risk of injury.
Remedy & full details
Spartan will notify owners and will install seat belts with retractors, free of charge. The recall began on August 6, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-582-3454. Spartan's number for this recall is 18019.
Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 1991-2018 Utilimaster Aeromaster and Walk-In Vans. These vehicles were manufactured with front seat belts that do not have an emergency locking seat belt retractor or automatic locking seat belt retractor. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Complaint volume
Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.
What owners reported happened
1Crashes
0Fires
0Injuries
0Deaths
Across 1 complaints. Severity Index 2.00.
Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.
What owners report most
Power Train:Axle Assembly — 1 reports
What to do
Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.
Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.
Questions
Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?
Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.
Do I pay for recall repairs?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.
Why are there complaints but no recalls?
Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.
From the same data desk
Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.