RecallMyCar

2012 Spartan Gladiator Recalls, Complaints & Specs

24 safety recalls list the 2012 Spartan Gladiator. Check your own VIN below.

24
safety recalls
0
owner complaints to NHTSA

24 safety recalls for the 2012 Spartan Gladiator

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Reservoir/tank (service brakes)

    NHTSA 19V828000 Reported 94 vehicles potentially affected Marion Body Works Inc.

    Marion Body Works Inc. (Marion Body Works) is recalling certain 2005-2020 Emergency Response Gladiator and Metrostar vehicles equipped with pneumatically-controlled automatic tire chain systems. The air pressure control lines may not be pressure-protected.

    Remedy: Marion Body Works will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the control lines, rerouting them into the auxiliary air reservoir as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 22, 2019. Owners…

  2. Reservoir/tank (service brakes)

    NHTSA 19V674000 Reported 1,746 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2004-2020 Emergency Response Gladiator and Spartan vehicles equipped with a pneumatically-controlled automatic tire chain system. The air pressure control lines may not be pressure-protected. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety…

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the control lines, rerouting them into the auxiliary air reservoir as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2019. Owners may contact…

  3. Equipment

    NHTSA 19V338000 Reported 45 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2004-2016 Emergency Response Gladiator Tractor Drawn Aerial vehicles. Cracks may develop and extend into the vertical portions of the tiller frame, resulting in instability of the aerial device.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct any cracking, and add reinforcements to prevent any possible future cracking, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact Spartan…

  4. Service brakes, air

    NHTSA 18V932000 Reported 138 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Emergency Response Gladiator and Metro Star vehicles built into fire apparatus and equipped with tandem axles, drum brakes at the rear axles and Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Vehicles with this configuration may have a delay in their brake release, preventing them from…

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will re-route a portion of the brake system to bring the vehicle into compliance, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact Spartan customer service…

  5. Equipment

    NHTSA 18V691000 Reported 923 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2001-2019 Spartan MetroStar and Gladiator emergency vehicles. The mounting fasteners for the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) cabinets may not be the correct size, allowing the cabinets to break free from their mountings in the event of a crash.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the incorrect size fasteners with the correct fasteners, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at…

  6. Electrical system: wiring

    NHTSA 18V440000 Reported 865 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Spartan Emergency Response Gladiator vehicles. The protective sleeve for the cable that connects the battery positive terminal to the alternator can become brittle and allow the cable to chafe and arc.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will install brackets to move the cable away from any chafe points, and replace any damaged battery positive cables, free of charge. The recall began on August 27, 2018. Owners…

  7. Electrical system

    NHTSA 18V424000 Reported 1,243 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2009-2018 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency vehicles. The fire water pump solenoid may corrode internally, causing a loss of power to the pump control module.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the solenoids, free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for this recall is…

  8. Service brakes, air and reservoir/tank (service brakes)

    NHTSA 18V350000 Reported 309 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2001-2018 Spartan Gladiator, Diamond, MetroStar, and Advantage emergency response vehicles. The affected vehicles may not be equipped with a pressure protection valve installed between the air reservoir and the lubrication control module. If the air line were to become disconnected…

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and install a pressure protection valve, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at…

  9. Starter assembly (electrical system)

    NHTSA 17V351000 Reported 721 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2010-2014 K2 and K3 motor home chassis and Gladiator emergency response chassis cabs. A component within the starter motor may break, potentially resulting in the starter motor overheating or drawing excessive current.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify the purchasers of the chassis and dealers will replace the starters, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2017. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-4277. Spartan's…

  10. Parking brake

    NHTSA 17V294000 Reported 18 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency response vehicles equipped with a supplemental park brake system (SPBS). The directions to activate the SPBS incorrectly state to "Pull" the actuation knob, when it should say "Push."

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and supply a new actuator control knob with the correct directions, free of charge. The recall began on May 22, 2017. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's…

  11. Suspension: control arm

    NHTSA 17V160000 Reported 2,783 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Gladiator, 2016-2017 MetroStar, 2012-2018 K2, 2011-2018 K3, 2017-2018 K4, and 2011-2017 MM vehicles. The ball joints on the independent front suspension (IFS) modules can loosen and separate, leading to a partial loss of steering.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will remove, clean, apply thread locker, and reinstall the properly torqued ball joint, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2017. Owners may contact Spartan customer…

  12. Pump (steering)

    NHTSA 16V676000 Reported 264 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2010-2017 Emergency Response K3, Metrostar, and Gladiator emergency response chassis cabs and motor home chassis manufactured April 12, 2010, to August 31, 2016. The affected vehicles have a power steering pump that may have an occasional loss of output power resulting in…

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering pumps, free of charge. The recall began on October 11, 2016. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008. Spartan's number for…

  13. Service brakes, air

    NHTSA 16V448000 Reported 38 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2004-2016 Gladiator tractor-drawn aerial emergency vehicles manufactured September 12, 2004, to September 30, 2015. The air brakes on these vehicles may have excessive actuation and release timing, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle. As such, these vehicles…

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles with a new 3/8" control line, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2016. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-800-543-5008.…

  14. Power steering fluid (steering) and steering

    NHTSA 15V687000 Reported 2,038 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 ER Gladiator and MetroStar vehicles manufactured January 5, 2010, to January 19, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the power steering fluid may overheat and cause the steering to unexpectedly lock during steering maneuvers.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will install a cooler to prevent the steering fluid from overheating, free of charge. An interim notice was sent to owners on December 17, 2015. The recall began on November 7,…

  15. Frame and members (structure)

    NHTSA 15V540000 Reported 696 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors USA

    Spartan Motors USA (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Gladiator and MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured March 4, 2013, to December 17, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the front splay rails may crack.

    Remedy: Spartan will replace the splay rails with new splay rails with certified welds, free of charge. An interim notification was mailed to owners on September 24, 2015. The recall began on October 31, 2016. Owners may…

  16. Frame and members (structure)

    NHTSA 15V466000 Reported 29 vehicles potentially affected Spartan ERV

    Spartan ERV (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2007-2015 Gladiator emergency vehicles manufactured from April 18, 2007, through June 10, 2015. The affected vehicles were built with aerial devices and the torque frames are susceptible to cracking.

    Remedy: Spartan will njotify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by adding reinforcement sections for each side of the frame, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer…

  17. Valve (tires)

    NHTSA 15V448000 Reported 212 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors, Inc.

    Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2007-2015 Advantage, Diamond, Gladiator, and MetroStar emergency response vehicles manufactured January 18, 2007 to February 9, 2015. The front wheels of the affected vehicles have valve stems that may rub against the brake caliper.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front wheel valve stems and replace any that have wear marks, free of charge. The recall began on September 2, 2015. Owners may contact Spartan customer service…

  18. Fan (engine and engine cooling)

    NHTSA 15V403000 Reported 1,599 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors, Inc.

    Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Furion, Gladiator, and Metrostar emergency response vehicles manufactured November 10, 2009, to June 16, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the engine cooling fan may crack and the fan blades may detach while the fan is spinning.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify the vehicle manufacturers that purchased the affected emergency vehicle chassis, and their dealers will install a new engine cooling fan, free of charge. The recall began on August 19, 2015. Owners…

  19. Fan (engine and engine cooling)

    NHTSA 14V664000 Reported 304 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors, Inc.

    Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Gladiator vehicles manufactured March 25, 2010, to October 16, 2014. The engine cooling fan may break and separate during severe vibration.

    Remedy: The cooling fans in the affected vehicles will be replaced by dealers free of charge. The recall began on December 19, 2014. Owners may contact Spartan customer service at 1-517-543-6400. Spartan's number for the…

  20. Cooling unit and lines (power train)

    NHTSA 14V623000 Reported 389 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors, Inc.

    Spartan Motors, Inc. (Spartan) is recalling certain model year 2006-2013 Advantage, Diamond, Gladiator, and MetroStar emergency vehicles manufactured November 29, 2005, to June 19, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the transmission fluid cooler may fail, allowing the engine coolant to mix with the transmission fluid.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and dealers will install a new transmission fluid cooler, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on November 25, 2014 and will also be…

  21. Air bags and electrical system

    NHTSA 13V066000 Reported 27 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Motors, Inc.

    Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc., a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Metro Star and Gladiator fire trucks manufactured from March 29, 2012, through January 30, 2013 and equipped with a Spartan advanced protection system (APS) supplied by Takata Protection Systems. The circuits on the control module of…

    Remedy: Spartan Motors will notify owners, and dealers will install a new sub-wire harness on the control module of the APS, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2013. Owners may contact Spartan at…

  22. Visibility/wiper

    NHTSA 12V579000 Reported 36 vehicles potentially affected Spartan Chassis, Inc.

    Spartan Motors Chassis is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Gladiator, Metro Star, Metro Star-X, and Force emergency rescue chassis cabs built between October 1, 2012, through October 31, 2012. The wiper motor shaft and the wiper arm shaft have different sized splines which may cause the windshield wipers to become inoperative.

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and replace the wipers free of charge The safety recall began on January 15, 2013. Owners may contact Spartan at 1-800-543-5008, Option 4.

  23. Engine and engine cooling

    NHTSA 12V279000 Reported 102 vehicles potentially affected SPARTAN CHASSIS, INC.

    Spartan is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 gladiator emergency rescue chassis manufactured from april 12, 2010, through june 5, 2012, equipped with a cummins isx 15l engine and fan clutch assembly. Sheering of the fasteners used to mount the fan clutch mounting bracket to the front of the engine may lead to separation of the…

    Remedy: Spartan chassis will notify owners, and repair the vehicles. The recall began on august 10, 2012. Owners may contact spartan at 1-800-543-5008.

  24. Electronic stability control (esc)

    NHTSA 11V500000 Reported 799 vehicles potentially affected SPARTAN CHASSIS, INC.

    Spartan chassis (spartan), is recalling certain model year 2008 diamond, model year 2008-2009 furion along with model year 2011, model year 2010 furion r/t, model year 2007-2012 gladiator, model year 2008-2012 metrostar and model year 2012 spartan force emergency rescue transport vehicles equipped with an electronic stability control…

    Remedy: Spartan will notify owners and replace the control module free of charge. The safety recall began on december 19, 2011. Owners may contact spartan at 1-800-543-5008 option 5.

No owner complaints on file

NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 2012 Spartan Gladiator. For context, the average model year in NHTSA's database has dozens; a zero can mean a reliable vehicle, a rare one, or both.

Compare Spartan Gladiator model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Spartan Gladiator model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1986 Spartan Gladiator10
1987 Spartan Gladiator20
1988 Spartan Gladiator20
1989 Spartan Gladiator20
1990 Spartan Gladiator30
1991 Spartan Gladiator30
1992 Spartan Gladiator30
1993 Spartan Gladiator20
1994 Spartan Gladiator30
1995 Spartan Gladiator30
1996 Spartan Gladiator41
1997 Spartan Gladiator40
1998 Spartan Gladiator40
1999 Spartan Gladiator30
2000 Spartan Gladiator10
2001 Spartan Gladiator40
2002 Spartan Gladiator50
2003 Spartan Gladiator30
2004 Spartan Gladiator80
2005 Spartan Gladiator90
2006 Spartan Gladiator120
2007 Spartan Gladiator160
2008 Spartan Gladiator210
2009 Spartan Gladiator230
2010 Spartan Gladiator290
2011 Spartan Gladiator260
2012 Spartan Gladiator240
2013 Spartan Gladiator290
2014 Spartan Gladiator282
2015 Spartan Gladiator260
2016 Spartan Gladiator140
2017 Spartan Gladiator150
2018 Spartan Gladiator130
2019 Spartan Gladiator140
2020 Spartan Gladiator71

Checking a specific 2012 Spartan Gladiator

How do I know if my 2012 Spartan Gladiator has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 24 campaigns currently list the 2012 Spartan Gladiator; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Spartan dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 11V500000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Spartan models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.