Recall · 23V008000
Gratimax recalled the MCELRATH TRAILERS VX75 Xcel over exterior lighting
31
Vehicles covered
1
Model
11
Model years
January 13, 2023
Filed with NHTSA
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
- The defect
- Gratimax, LLC (Gratimax) is recalling certain 2013-2023 McElrath Trailers VX75 Xcel vacuum excavator trailers. The design of the rear impact guard resulted in the incorrect placement of the taillights. In addition, the guard may fail to prevent a vehicle from traveling under the trailer during a rear impact crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 224, "Rear Impact Protection."
- What it can cause
- Incorrect placement of the taillights may reduce the visibility of the trailer, increasing the risk of a crash. During a crash, a vehicle that travels under the rear of the trailer increases the risk of injury.
- What the dealer does
- Dealers will reposition the taillights and modify the rear impact guard, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2023. Owners may contact Gratimax customer service at 1-864-814-2220. Gratimax's number for this recall is 21434.
- NHTSA's note
- 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.nhtsa.gov.
The repair is free, whatever the age or mileage of the vehicle, and whether or not you are the original owner.
Which vehicles
A recall reaches a range of VINs inside these model years, not every car built in them. Yours may not be covered even if it is listed here, and the only way to find out is NHTSA's own VIN lookup .
| Vehicle | Model years | Safety record |
|---|---|---|
| Mcelrath TrailersVX75 Xcel | 2013 to 2023 | Not published here |
How this campaign compares
At 31 vehicles this is a small campaign: 83% of the 19,818 vehicle recalls filed since 1995 whose size NHTSA published are as large or larger. The middle campaign on file covers 472. It covers model years 2013 to 2023, so the oldest vehicles on it were 10 model years old when the defect was reported to NHTSA.
Mcelrath Trailers vehicles have been recalled over the exterior lighting once before this, most recently in November 2019 as 19V793000. That is not evidence the earlier repair failed.
Check your own car
A VIN check is the only answer for a specific vehicle, and it also shows every other open recall on it, which is usually the reason it is worth doing rather than reading one campaign.
Filed by Gratimax, LLC with NHTSA on January 13, 2023 as campaign 23V008000. Every word of the defect, consequence and remedy above is NHTSA's published record of that filing, not a summary of it.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes . Data last checked 2023-01-13.
Independent developer and analyst