Featherlite Trailer Hitches

Featherlite is recalling about 3,145 vehicles over a problem with the trailer hitches. In the event of a trailer breaking loose from a tow vehicle, the malfunction of a breakaway switch could result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, property damage or both.

Campaign
00V265004
Manufacturer
FEATHERLITE, INC.
Reported
29 September 2000
Vehicles
3,145
Built between
Apr 2000 – Aug 2000
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
9 October 2000
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2000 and August 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2000 Featherlite TrailerBuilt April 2000 to August 2000

What the defect is

Vehicle description: trailers equipped with tekonsha or bargman breakaway switch assemblies. The subject switches are base parts 2011 and 2011P, and are branded tekonsha (2011) and bargman (50-85-009). These may be packaged in kit numbers 1026, 1028, 2011-23, 2028-23, 2011P, 2011AP, 20005, 20010, 20015, 20020, 2026, 2026-LB, 2028, 1026-LB, 50-85-200, 50-85-201, 50-85-250, 5061404, 5061406, 5061407, 5061408, 5061410, 5061506, 5061507, 5061508, 5067406, 5067407, 5067408, 5067409, and 5067410. The internal switching mechanism may fail to make proper contact and provide electrical continuity when the breakaway pin is pulled. This condition may result in no electrical power to the trailer brakes in the event of a trailer breakaway situition and could occur without warning.

What could happen

In the event of a trailer breaking loose from a tow vehicle, the malfunction of a breakaway switch could result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, property damage or both.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE BREAKAWAY DEVICE WITH NEW BREAKAWAY KITS FREE OF CHARGE.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2000 to August 2000
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA29 September 2000
  3. Owners notified9 October 2000

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 29 September 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
FEATHERLITE, INC.
Recall initiated by
MFR

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 october 9, 2000. 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 featherlite at 1-877-903-1444OR tekonsha towing systems at 1-800-325-5860. 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.

Same component

Same brand