IllustrationDURING A TRIP FROM THE FIREHOUSE THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SPINDLE SNAPPED OFF AND THE TIRE FELL OFF. WHEN THIS HAPPENED WE LOST ALL CONTROL OF THIS TRUCK. THIS WAS A MAJOR FAILURE OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH IF THIS APPARATUS WAS GOING TO AN ALARM. *TR
2008 American Lafrance Eagle
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Eagle years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 1 of 1 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
Steering complaints
1 reportsOfficial recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE14002 · Front Spindle Failure
Opened Jan 30, 2014 · Closed Dec 23, 2014
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm
On January 30th 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-002 based on Vehicle Owner's Questionnaire (VOQ) No. 10554304 alleging that the front wheel completely separated on a model year 2008 American LaFrance Eagle aerial-ladder fire truck.During this investigation, ODI sent American LaFrance an Information Request (IR) letter seeking further information.After sending the IR, ODI learned that under direction from its owner Patriarch Partners LLC, American LaFrance had ceased operation and closed its manufacturing facilities.Subsequent communications with Patriarch Partners revealed that the records necessary to respond to ODI's IR could not be obtained.As a result of this information not being available, ODI was not able to conduct a complete investigation or locate the owners of existing vehicles.In an effort to notify owners of the vehicles about the potential safety issue, ODI released a consumer alert.This alert was distributed to the Emergency Responder community via the firstresponder.gov web site.Copies of both the alert and website where it was published can be found in the public file for this investigation.Information will continue to be collected from any operators who contact ODI who will be advised of the risks and how best to prevent future failures.Due to the inability to locate production, owner, and failure or warranty data, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists. The agency reserves the right to take further action if additional data becomes available.