- Vehicles
- 1,338
- Built between
- Jan 2006 – Aug 2015
- Models
- 12
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 21 December 2015
- Repaired
- 0%
- Unrepaired
- 1,338
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2006 and August 2015. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2006-2015 Champion AmericanBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion American CoachBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion American CrusaderBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion ChallengerBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion CorporalBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion CrusaderBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion CTS-FEBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion CTS-REBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion DefenderBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion HC AmericanBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion Platinum ShuttleBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
- 2006-2015 Champion Stacked RailBuilt January 2006 to August 2015
Repair progress
1,338 of 1,338 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2017.
0% repaired — 0 of 1,338 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 2006-2015 Challenger, Defender, Crusader, American, American Coach, American Crusader, Corporal, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, HC American, Platinum Shuttle, and Stacked Rail transit buses manufactured January 1, 2006, to August 25, 2015, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts. The affected lifts are equipped with folding link arms that may have pivot holes that are too big, allowing the bearings to move out of position.
What could happen
If the bearings move out of position, the stowed platform may have excessive movement resulting in failure of the platform mounting. This failure could cause the wheel chair lift platform to fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, increasing the risk of injury for the lift operator.
What gets fixed
Champion will notify owners, and Ricon will inspect the link arms for damage or for displaced bearings. The platform will be inspected for cracks. Any damaged parts will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on December 21, 2015.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2006 to August 2015
- Recall reported to NHTSA16 November 2015
- Owners notified21 December 2015
- Latest repair reportQ1 2017 — 0% 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 16 November 2015.
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 1-810-724-1753 extension 415, or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Champion's number for this recall is 15E-068. Note: These buses and wheelchair lifts were subject to a similar recall in 2014. All vehicles that received that recall remedy are still affected by this recall as well.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 15E-068
- 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 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.