- Vehicles
- 223
- Built between
- Sep 2007 – Feb 2010
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 10 May 2010
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 2007 and February 2010. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2009-2010 Champion ChallengerBuilt September 2007 to February 2010
- 2008-2010 Champion CrusaderBuilt September 2007 to February 2010
- 2010 Champion CTS REBuilt September 2007 to February 2010
- 2008-2010 Champion DefenderBuilt September 2007 to February 2010
What the defect is
Champion bus has notified NHTSA about a defect in certain model year 2008-2010 buses manufactured between september 2007 and february 2010, equipped with certain ricon s series and k series l-model wheelchair lifts, due to a problem in the software that controls the lift's "up" function. If the "up" switch is released before the floor level limit switch is activated, the lift may continue its upward travel for approximately 1 second before stopping. The continued upward travel may overrun the floor level cut off point.
What could happen
When the platform overruns the vehicle floor level and stops at an angle from 15-20 degrees, it is possible for a person in a wheelchair to tip over and for someone standing on the platform to fall, possibly resulting in injuries.
What gets fixed
CHAMPION BUS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY AUTHORIZED RICON DEALERS PLEASE SEE RICON'S DEFECT REPORT 09E-061. RICON WILL PROVIDE OWNERS WITH A BULLETIN OUTLINING PROPER WHEELCHAIR LIFT OPERATION AND WILL SHIP OWNERS A DVD-BASED TRAINING AID TO PROMOTE PROPER LIFT OPERATION. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2010.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 2007 to February 2010
- Recall reported to NHTSA2 April 2010
- Owners notified10 May 2010
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 2 April 2010.
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 contact ricon customer service at 800- 322-2884, emailing at www.dmata@wabtec.com.
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
Owners 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 <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
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.