Air Intake Kit may Prevent Ground Wire Attachment – S&B Filters Cold Air Intake

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18E012
Manufacturer S&B Filters, Inc.
Components EQUIPMENT
Potential Number of Units Affected 2,225

 

Air Intake Kit may Prevent Ground Wire Attachment

If the secondary battery grounding wire cannot be properly attached after installing the Cold Air Intake Kit, the fuse box may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

 

Summary

S&B Filters, Inc. (S&B Filters) is recalling certain Cold Air Intake Kits, part numbers 75-5085 and 75-5085D, sold for aftermarket installation on Ford Super Duty Powerstroke 6.7L diesel trucks. The battery tray, part number AL1298T-00, may not have the necessary hole to reattach the secondary battery ground wire if the truck is equipped with one.

 

Remedy

S&B Filters has notified owners and will replace the battery tray with a battery tray that can accommodate two ground wires, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2018. Owners may contact S&B Filters customer service at 1-909-947-0015, option 3.

 

Notes

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.safercar.gov.

 

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

PLEASE READ THIS LETTER:  IT CONCERNS IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUES THAT MAY AFFECT YOUR INVENTORY OR APPLY TO A VEHICLE/PART THAT YOU SOLD

 

March 9, 2018

Re: Recall of Cold Air Intake Kit – NHTSA ID NO. 18E012

 

Dear Distributor:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.  S&B Filters, Inc. (“S&B”) has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in its cold air intake kit (part numbers 75-5085 & 75-5085D) for 2017 and 2018 Ford Super Duty Powerstroke, 6.7L vehicles.

In light of the above, we are writing to notify you that the above product, which was sold to you, and which you likely resold or may still have in stock, has been recalled.  As such, there are three things that you need to do concerning this recall:

• If you have product in stock that was purchased from S&B prior to November 30, 2017, you should email recall@sbfilters.com and request an RMA number.

You can determine if existing stock was manufactured prior to November 30, 2017, by simply looking at the small rectangular label shown below.  If this label is not on your box or if the date shows after November 30, 2017, the intake kit is not affected by the recall and does not need to be returned.

• Any dealers to whom you sold these products need to be notified of this recall so that they can determine whether they or their customers are affected. S&B will handle this process for you.  Please email S&B at recall@sbfilters.com and provide the requested customer contact information.  We will confirm receipt of any such email.  If you do not receive a confirmation, you must assume that S&B did not receive the email.

• As a distributor, you may have also sold directly to consumers. If so, out of an abundance of caution to avoid the possibility of serious injury or death to vehicle occupants, each consumer needs to be contacted and instructed to stop driving the vehicle until it has been inspected to determine if the intake kit is subject to this recall.  Again, S&B will handle this process for you as set forth herein.

As background on the recall, between July and September 2017, S&B produced intake kits for the above-referenced vehicles, which had a battery tray that accommodated one (1) ground wire, since the bulk of trucks produced by Ford have only one ground wire.  Certain option packages on the 2017 and 2018 Powerstroke 6.7L vehicles, however, use (2) ground wires.  Accordingly, S&B quickly adapted the battery tray to accommodate both ground wires and started producing this newly designed battery tray with the intake kits on September 21, 2017.  S&B was not aware of any potential safety issue at that time.

We are contacting you because our records indicate that you purchased these intake kits.  With respect to this kit in the above-mentioned vehicles, a bad ground connection on the secondary ground wire may increase the risk of vehicle fire depending on its location.  As such, customers to whom you sold this intake kit to should not drive their vehicles until they determine whether the intake kits in their vehicles are affected by this recall.  To determine if a consumer’s intake kit is affected by this recall, please call us immediately, or refer to a quick video on how to identify if an intake is affected by the recall at www.sbfilters.com/recall.

If one of your customer’s intake kit is affected by this recall, S&B will immediately provide you (or the consumer directly) with an updated battery tray at no cost, which will also come with instructions on how to install this new tray.  Your customers will have two (2) options on how to install the new battery tray:

• Option #1: If your customer did the initial installation of the intake kit and he or she feels comfortable installing the new battery tray, your customer can install it according to the instructions provided with the replacement tray.  S&B recommends, however, that your customers have a professionally licensed technician install the new battery tray for them (see option #2 below).

• Option #2: If your customer does not want to install the updated battery tray on his or her own, you, or another S&B Authorized Dealer, can replace the existing battery tray with the updated tray.  If you install the updated battery tray at your location, S&B will reimburse you in the amount of $50.  The new battery tray can be installed in approximately 30 minutes.  To receive reimbursement as described above, please visit sbfilters.com/recall and fill out the form named Dealer Services and return it via email to recall@sbfilters.com.

Regardless of the option your customer chooses, if your customer’s vehicle is affected by the recall, please go to www.sbfilters.com/recall and complete the online form, so that we can send you out a new battery tray. You can also call 909.947.0015 and press option 3, and our customer service representative will process the transaction for you over the phone.

S&B requests that you be prepared to facilitate the installation immediately.  S&B will provide the parts and information necessary to complete the installation.  As a courtesy to our valued customers, S&B will reimburse affected customers to have their vehicles towed to an S&B Authorized Dealer for installation (tow expense reimbursement not to exceed $100.00 without written authorization from S&B).  As a further courtesy, should a customer need a rental car during the battery tray installation process, S&B will compensate the customer for one day’s car rental (not to exceed $100.00 without written authorization from S&B).  Please have customers contact S&B to arrange a rental car if needed.

S&B understand that contacting your customers may be a burden to your company; therefore, if you provide S&B with each customer’s contact information, we will reach out to them on your behalf.  Simply email your customers’ contact information to recall@sbfilters.com.  Please make sure to include the date of purchase, name, address, email, and phone number, or as much contact information as readily available.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this recall. At S&B, we believe that a company is defined by how it responds to situations such as this, which is why we are striving to handle it in the safest and most convenient manner possible for our customers.

 

Sincerely,

 

Berry Carter

President

S&B Filters

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

PLEASE READ THIS LETTER:  IT CONCERNS IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUES THAT MAY APPLY TO YOUR VEHICLE

 

March 9, 2018

Re:  Recall of Cold Air Intake Kit – NHTSA ID NO. 18E012

Dear Consumer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.  S&B Filters, Inc. (“S&B”) has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in its cold air intake kit (part numbers 75-5085 & 75-5085D) for 2017 and 2018 Ford Super Duty Powerstroke, 6.7L vehicles.

In light of the above, we are writing to notify you that S&B has initiated a recall on the above mentioned kit.  If your vehicle has this intake kit, out of an abundance of caution to avoid the possibility of serious injury or death to vehicle occupants, we ask that you please stop driving the vehicle until it has been inspected to determine if the intake kit in your vehicle is subject to this recall.

Between July and September 2017, S&B produced intake kits for the above-referenced vehicles, which had a battery tray that accommodated one (1) ground wire, since the bulk of trucks produced by Ford have only one ground wire.  Certain option packages on the 2017 and 2018 Powerstroke 6.7L vehicles, however, use (2) ground wires.  Accordingly, S&B quickly adapted the battery tray to accommodate both ground wires and started producing this newly designed battery tray with the intake kits on September 21, 2017.  S&B was not aware of any potential safety issue at that time.

We are contacting you because our records indicate that you purchased this intake kit.  With respect to this kit in the above-mentioned vehicles, a bad ground connection on the secondary ground wire may increase the risk of vehicle fire depending on its location.  As such, you should not drive your vehicle until you determine whether the intake kit in your vehicle is affected by this recall.  To determine if your intake kit is affected by this recall, please call us immediately, or refer to a quick video on how to identify if your intake is affected by the recall at www.sbfilters.com/recall.

If your intake kit is affected by this recall, S&B will immediately provide you with an updated battery tray at no cost to you, which will include instructions on how to install this new tray. You have two (2) options on how to install the new battery tray:

• Option #1: If you did the initial installation of your intake kit and you feel comfortable installing the new battery tray, you can install it yourself according to the instructions provided with the replacement tray.  S&B recommends, however, that you have a professionally licensed technician install the new battery tray for you (see option #2 below).

• Option #2: If you do not want to install the updated battery tray yourself, you can contact the dealer who originally installed your intake kit, or another S&B Authorized Dealer, to have them replace your existing battery tray with the updated tray.  The new battery tray can be installed in approximately 30 minutes.

Regardless of the option you choose, if your vehicle is affected by the recall, please go to www.sbfilters.com/recall and complete the online form so that we can send you a new battery tray.  You can also call 909.947.0015 and press option 3, and our customer service representative will process the transaction for you over the phone.

S&B Authorized Dealers in your area will be prepared to facilitate the installation immediately.  Please note that you will not be charged for the replacement part(s) or installation costs.  As a courtesy to our valued customers, S&B will reimburse you to have your vehicle towed to an S&B Authorized Dealer for installation (tow expense reimbursement not to exceed $100.00 without written authorization from S&B).  As a further courtesy, should you need a rental car during the battery tray installation process, S&B will compensate you for one day’s car rental (not to exceed $100.00 without written authorization from S&B).  Please contact S&B to arrange a rental car if needed.

Please note that if you previously had an affected intake kit installed in one of the above-referenced vehicles, and have already paid to have the battery tray replaced prior to receiving this Notice, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement for the cost of the part(s) and installation.  S&B has a program in place for pre-notification remedies.  Please contact S&B directly at 909.947.0015 to obtain further information on your reimbursement eligibility (proof of purchase and installation required).

Please be informed that you are entitled to submit a complaint to the Administrator,

NHTSA, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, D.C.  20590, or call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline (1-888-327-4236), or go to https://www.safercar.gov if you believe that the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy the aforementioned defect without charge.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this recall.  At S&B, we believe that a company is defined by how it responds to situations such as this, which is why we are striving to handle it in the safest and most convenient manner possible for our customers.

Sincerely,

 

Berry Carter

President

S&B Filters

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Manufacturer Notice

March 9, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCMN-18E012-5136.pdf

 

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Owner Notification Letter

March 9, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCONL-18E012-3524.pdf

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

March 19, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCAK-18E012-3320.pdf

 

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