Champion Trailer Hitches

Champion is recalling about 3,608 vehicles over a problem with the trailer hitches. If the retractable tongue was not manufactured correctly, the bottom of the top insert could crack in the area of the gap.

Campaign
06V206000
Manufacturer
GENMAR HOLDINGS, INC.
Reported
12 June 2006
Vehicles
3,608
Built between
Jul 2001 – Dec 2005
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
22 June 2006
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between July 2001 and December 2005. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2003-2006 Champion Boat TrailerBuilt June 2002 to December 2005
  • 2002-2006 Stratos Boat TrailerBuilt July 2001 to December 2005

What the defect is

Certain boat trailers equipped with a retractable tongue were manufactured incorrectly. The steel frame insert may not have been inserted into the brake actuator housing at the correct distance before the parts were welded together.

What could happen

If the retractable tongue was not manufactured correctly, the bottom of the top insert could crack in the area of the gap. If the insert cracks with the trailer in service, the tongue could buckle contacting the road surface, which could result in a crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPAIR THE TRAILERS AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 22, 2006.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJuly 2001 to December 2005
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA12 June 2006
  3. Owners notified22 June 2006

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 12 June 2006.

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 may call 615-494-2084 for more information.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
STR1
Recalling manufacturer
GENMAR HOLDINGS, 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

Genmar recall no. STR1.CUSTOMERS may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

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