- Vehicles
- 1,229
- Built between
- Jan 2006 – Jul 2014
- Models
- 12
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 28 November 2014
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2006 and July 2014. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2006-2014 Champion American CoachBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion American CrusaderBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion ChallengerBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion CorporalBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion CrusaderBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion CTS-FEBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion CTS-REBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion DefenderBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion HC AmericanBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion HcacBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion Platinum ShuttleBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
- 2006-2014 Champion Stacked RailBuilt January 2006 to July 2014
What the defect is
Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion Bus) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 American Coach, American Crusader, Challenger, Corporal, Crusader, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, Defender, HCAC, HC American, Platinum Shuttle, and Stacked Rail transit buses manufactured January 1, 2006, to July 31, 2014, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.
What could happen
If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
What gets fixed
Champion Bus will notify owners to take buses to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began in November 2014.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2006 to July 2014
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 November 2014
- Owners notified28 November 2014
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 2014.
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 Champion Bus customer service at 1-810-724-6474. Owners may contact Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Champion Bus, 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
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to 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.