5 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
This recall covers one emergency vehicle built on a Ford F-450 chassis and one other truck. The combination stop, tail, turn and backup lights on the back are brighter than federal rules allow. Lights that are too strong can dazzle drivers behind you and make it harder for them to see. That raises the chance of a crash. The lamp maker will supply a free filter kit that brings the lights back down to the legal brightness.
The mechanism that lets a seat back tilt is supposed to have three metal catches holding it in place, and on these vehicles one catch may be missing. With a catch missing, the seat back is weaker than it should be and may feel loose. In a crash, a seat back like this may not hold the person in the seat properly, which can make injuries worse. Dealers will inspect the seats and replace them as needed, free of charge.
These are commercial-type vehicles built on Ford and Freightliner chassis by LGE Coachworks, fitted with a Voyager back-up camera screen. The screen can reset itself to the factory settings unexpectedly, and when it does, the picture shows up reversed — what is on your left appears on the right. Backing up, you could steer the wrong way to miss something behind you and hit it instead. The dealer replaces the display free.
The brake lights on these ambulances were wired in a way that can make them light up even when the driver has not touched the brake pedal. Drivers behind may think the ambulance is slowing down when it is not, and may brake hard or swerve for no reason. The lights themselves are not broken; the problem is how they are connected. Whelen will replace the brake lights at no cost to the owner.
These trucks have an engine block heater — the cord you plug in to warm the engine in cold weather. Water and road grime can get into the connector where the cable is spliced, and over time that causes corrosion. Corroded wiring can short out while the heater is plugged in, overheating or melting the cable and possibly starting a fire. Dealers first disable the block heater cable, then replace it once parts are available.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Ford F-450. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: