Smeal AERIAL FIRE APPARATUS recalls by model year
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
0 owner complaints analyzed
5 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2016 to 2019 model years. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
Recalls by model year
All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.
Recall campaigns
Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
2016: 4; 2017: 2; 2018: 1; 2019: 1
Year-by-year records
Recall history
5 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
16V583000 · Power Train:Manual Transmission
Reported: 2016-08-04 (August 4, 2016) · Model years: 2016
Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. (Smeal) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Smeal Aerial and Pumper fire trucks manufactured July 16, 2015, to August 1, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with certain C20 and C21 split-shaft transmissions from Waterous. This transmission sends power to the wheels of an emergency response vehicle or powers an add-on unit such as a water pump used for fighting fires. A component within the shift unit may be damaged and as a result, the operator may not be able to switch the power output.
Consequence: If the power output cannot be changed, once the fire truck arrives at the scene, it may not be able to pump water to aid in extinguishing the fire, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will remove the shift unit assembly and replace the clevis pin and retaining rings, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2016. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-877-415-8628.
NHTSA campaign record ↗16V663000 · Electrical System
Reported: 2016-09-14 (September 14, 2016) · Model years: 2016
Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. (Smeal) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Aerial fire apparatus vehicles manufactured October 1, 2015, to August 31, 2015, equipped with Class 1 Ultraview Touchscreens manufactured by Hale Products. These touchscreens may experience false switch activations that can happen without the operator's knowledge causing accessories to turn on or off, affecting vehicle performance.
Consequence: The unintended turning on or off of accessories such as emergency beacons or automatic snow chains can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the unit's software, free of charge. The recall began on October 18, 2016. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-877-415-8628, option 1 for Smeal, then option 4 for Direct Customer Service.
NHTSA campaign record ↗16V887000 · Equipment
Reported: 2016-12-09 (December 9, 2016) · Model years: 2016
Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. (Smeal) is recalling certain model year 1997-2016 Rear Mount Aerial Platform Apparatus emergency vehicles manufactured January 1, 1997, to November 30, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a movable ladder access guardrail that may bend or break under heavy loads.
Consequence: A guardrail that bends or breaks under load can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will add a support to the opposite side of the guardrail, free of charge. The recall began on January 11, 2017. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-877-415-8628.
NHTSA campaign record ↗17V463000 · Equipment
Reported: 2017-07-20 (July 20, 2017) · Model years: 2016, 2017
Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. (Smeal) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Aerial Fire Apparatus emergency vehicles. The hydraulic manifold that controls the aerial device may not be fully seated, possibly resulting in a hydraulic fluid leak.
Consequence: The hydraulic fluid leak may result in inadvertent movement of the aerial device, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Smeal will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the mating surface of the hydraulic manifold, correcting the problem as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 10, 2017. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Smeal's number for this recall is 17019.
NHTSA campaign record ↗19V337000 · Equipment
Reported: 2019-04-30 (April 30, 2019) · Model years: 2017, 2018, 2019
Smeal Holding LLC (Smeal) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Aerial Fire Apparatus vehicles. The tube steel used in the base rail of the aerial device may be missing joint welds, which may cause the aerial device to become unsteady and possibly collapse.
Consequence: The aerial device may collapse increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Smeal has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the aerial devices, replacing any sections with missing welds, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact Smeal customer service at 1-800-867-6478. Smeal's number for this recall is 1911.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
0 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2018: 0 complaints · 2019: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component |
|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.