- Vehicles
- 773
- Built between
- Jan 2012 – Oct 2014
- Models
- 15
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 6 January 2015
- Repaired
- 55%
- Unrepaired
- 345
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2012 and October 2014. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2012-2014 Champion American CrusaderBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion ChallengerBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion CrusaderBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion CTS-FEBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion CTS-REBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion DefenderBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion EZ-StreetBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion HC AmericanBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion HcacBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion LF TransportBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion M1235Built January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion Platinum ShuttleBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Champion Stacked RailBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Federal Coach PremierBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
- 2012-2014 Federal Coach SpiritBuilt January 2012 to October 2014
Repair progress
345 of 773 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2015.
55% repaired — 428 of 773 reported
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 American Crusader, Challenger, Crusader, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, Defender, EZ-Street, HC American, HCAC, LF Transport, M1235, Platinum Shuttle, Stacked Rail, and Federal Coach Premier, and Spirit transit buses manufactured January 1, 2012, to October 1, 2014, equipped with certain triangle warning signs manufactured by Imperial Supplies, LLC. Test reports indicate that the triangle warning signs, labeled C&J, may reflect an inadequate amount of light. As such, these triangle warning kits fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 125, "Warning devices."
What could happen
Warning triangles that do not properly reflect light may fail to warn others that a vehicle is parked, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Champion will notify owners to inspect their triangles for production dates between April 2011, to April 2014, and the affected triangles will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2015.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2012 to October 2014
- Recall reported to NHTSA29 December 2014
- Owners notified6 January 2015
- Latest repair reportQ2 2015 — 55% repaired
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 29 December 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 customer service at 1-810-724-6474.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Champion Bus, Inc.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 125
- 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 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.