- Vehicles
- 9,185
- Built between
- Jul 2000 – Oct 2000
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 1 February 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 2000 and October 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Kwikee Eletronic Step ControlBuilt July 2000 to October 2000
What the defect is
Equipment description: electric step controls serial nos. 93,822-103,007 sold by kwikee as original replacement equipment to recreational vehicle manufacturers and van converters between july 17 and october 1, 2000. Parts in this range may also have been available to repair shops and end use customers during the same dates. These step controls (black box only) were improperly assembled by substituting a fuse (in place of a diode) on the porch lamp circuit. The porch light circuit exits the control through a purple wire on the potted side of the control. The porch light/purple wire connection gives the manufacturers the option of illuminating the under step light through a switch mounted inside the vehicle. The substitution of a fuse for the intended diode may cause the step to inadvertently retract when the porch light is turned on.
What could happen
Inadvertent step retraction creates a risk of falling from the vehicle resulting in personal injury or property damage.
What gets fixed
KWIKEE WILL NOTIFY AND INSTRUCT THE CUSTOMERS TO INSPECT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT FOR THE PURPLE WIRE AND, IF PRESENT, CUT THE WIRE. THEN CONTACT KWIKEE OR THEIR LOCAL DEALER FOR A FREE REPLACEMENT.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 2000 to October 2000
- Recall reported to NHTSA18 December 2000
- Owners notified1 February 2001
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 18 December 2000.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- KWIKEE PRODUCTS COMPANY, INC.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owner notification began february 1, 2001.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kwikee at 1-800-736-9961. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.