- Vehicles
- 1,552
- Built between
- Aug 1999 – Jul 2004
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 16 November 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1999 and July 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2000-2004 Champion ChallengerBuilt August 1999 to July 2004
- 2003-2004 Champion CorporalBuilt August 2002 to July 2004
- 2000-2002 Champion CTSBuilt August 1999 to July 2002
- 2000-2002 Champion DefenderBuilt August 1999 to July 2002
- 2000-2002 Champion GeneralBuilt August 1999 to July 2002
What the defect is
On certain transit buses, a light gauge steel was used for the floor frame crossmember located in the floor sub-frame.
What could happen
Driving the bus on some road conditions could cause the sub-floor crossmember frame to crack. This condition can increase the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
OWNERS WILL INSPECT FOR CRACKS AND IF CRACKS ARE PRESENT OWNERS ARE TO CONTACT CHAMPION FOR REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN NOVEMBER 16, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1999 to July 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA28 October 2004
- Owners notified16 November 2004
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 October 2004.
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 should contact champion at 1-800-788-1976.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- CHAMPION BUS, 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
Customers can 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.