Carriage Trailer Hitches: Fifth Wheel Assembly

Carriage is recalling about 1,450 vehicles over a problem with the trailer hitches. Over time stress cracks could begin to occur at the frame insertion points and front cross structure surrounding the pin box (hitch).

Campaign
02V312000
Manufacturer
CARRIAGE, INC.
Reported
19 November 2002
Vehicles
1,450
Built between
Not published
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
30 April 2003
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 1996-1999 Carriage Carri Lite
  • 1997-2001 Carriage Lite Series

What the defect is

Certain fifth wheel trailers may have an insufficient frame structure to support the pin box.

What could happen

Over time stress cracks could begin to occur at the frame insertion points and front cross structure surrounding the pin box (hitch). This could result in the trailer becoming partially or fully detached from the tow vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash, personal injury or property damage.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT KIT TO THE FRAME STRUCTURE SURROUNDING THE PIN BOX. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 30, 2003.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA19 November 2002
  2. Owners notified30 April 2003

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 19 November 2002.

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 do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact carriage at 1-800-895-0108.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
CARRIAGE, 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

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