- Vehicles
- 128
- Built between
- Feb 1997 – Jul 1999
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 6 December 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1997 and July 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-1999 General Coach ELFBuilt February 1997 to July 1999
- 1997-1999 General Coach LotranBuilt February 1997 to July 1999
What the defect is
Vehicle description: transit coaches. The trailing arm shaft on the rear axle could shear off at a location between the inside bearing and the axle tube. This defect does not arise until the mileage on the subject vehicle is in excess of 60,000 miles. In addition, the defect appears to arise only in the event that the driver of the vehicle hits a curb or other object with the rear passenger side wheel. When the defect occurs, the trailing arm and the mechanisms attached to it, including but not limited to the wheel, lodge upward into the wheel well of the vehicle and stop the rotation of the tire.
What could happen
In turn, the dislodged wheel breaks the hydraulic brake line and the air supply line to the parking brake and the rear air suspension, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR AXLE OF THE VEHICLE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 6, 2001.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1997 to July 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA28 November 2001
- Owners notified6 December 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 28 November 2001.
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.
Manufacturer contact
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 general coach at 1-800-842-0622.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL COACH AMERICA, 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
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.