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Dodge water pump recall: Your questions answered

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County firefighters contacted Channel 9, wanting to know when dozens of recalled parts will be replaced after an emergency vehicle caught fire while a child was being taken to a hospital.

Tara Wingate and paramedic Adam Spicer were taking a woman and her daughter to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children when Orange County Fire Rescue's Rescue 80 caught fire, records said.

Dodge completed a report that determined that a water pump had failed, and a pulley broke off and made contact with harnesses, causing the fire.
Jay Zembower, of Zembower's Auto Center in Altamonte Springs, discussed the seriousness of the issue with Channel 9’s Shannon Butler and answered your questions on Facebook.
Why is the recall a big deal?
 "It’s a big deal because the operators, be it a firefighter or otherwise, have no warning. In most cases you’re not going to get light or anything, until your vehicle is on fire."
Read: More than 440,000 Dodge Ram trucks recalled due to fire hazard

Anybody could be driving these, right?

"Anyone with a Dodge with the Cummins diesel in it is susceptible. The problem with the rescue and commercial vehicles--they have a much higher use on a daily basis, and they have more of a load than the everyday person, so there’s a higher failure rate."

WATCH: More info on the recall

What if it happens to your vehicle?

"The big issue is the company doesn’t have the pieces to fix it. If this occurs to your vehicle and it erupts into a fire, you have a couple problems. The part that needs to be replaced is the same defective part that just caused the problem. On top of that, if your vehicle catches on fire, you’ve lost value on that car. If you take action now and if Chrysler ever gets the pieces, you can avoid the fire part of the problem. If you do have a fire, regardless of warranty or not, it’s going to have reduced value."
Chrysler recall: 1.3 million vehicles pose fire and airbag deployment risk

Are vehicle recalls common?

It’s become a bigger issue for manufacturers to pay for more attention to it. Recalls are a voluntary situation by the manufacturer unless the government steps in and demands it. As much as I hate to say it, it’s really a financial decision on behalf of the manufacturer.
Read: Fiat Chrysler recalls 100K vehicles to fix Takata air bags
What is Dodge doing to do?
They’re redesigning the water pump and the water pump bearings. I think they’re going to have to do a total redesign of the tension that goes on this pump.

WATCH: Zembower discusses the recall 

Cox Media Group

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