- Vehicles
- 90
- Built between
- Feb 1997 – Feb 2000
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 20 December 2000
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1997 and February 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-2000 Featherlite 4950Built February 1997 to February 2000
- 1997-2000 Featherlite 4951Built February 1997 to February 2000
What the defect is
Vehicle description: trailers equipped with dotsco couplers and safety chain/fastener assemblies. The coupler locking pin that ensures that the coupler remains locked can be misplaced and not installed by the operator. The coupler locking pin also had a safety pin, which could be misplaced or come loose and fall out.
What could happen
Should either situation happen, the locking mechanism of the coupler can move upward thus allowing the locking jaws of the coupler to open enough to allow the coupler to release from the ball on the tow vehicle. The safety chain assemblies may also have an inadequate fastener, which could allow the safety chain to become detached from the trailer in the event the trailer becomes uncoupled, allowing the safety chain to become detached from the trailer.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A COUPLER AND SAFETY CHAIN/FASTENER KIT TO THESE TRAILERS.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1997 to February 2000
- Recall reported to NHTSA5 December 2000
- Owners notified20 December 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 5 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
- 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 is expected to begin during december 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 1-877-903-1444. 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.