- Vehicles
- 285
- Built between
- Jan 2015 – Aug 2016
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 24 October 2016
- Repaired
- 62%
- Unrepaired
- 108
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2015 and August 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2015-2016 Kaufman Mini CAR HaulerBuilt January 2015 to August 2016
Repair progress
108 of 285 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2018.
62% repaired — 177 of 285 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
Kaufman Trailers (Kaufman) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Mini 5-Car Hauler trailers, model FE-3/7K-44, manufactured July 1, 2015, to August 24, 2016. During use, the suspension spring eye may break, and allow the axle to slide back and forth.
What could happen
If the axle is able to slide back and forth, the tires on the sliding axle can contact either the fender or the adjacent tire, adversely affecting handling and increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Kaufman Trailers of NC, Inc. will replace all springs on your trailer with a newly designed spring that has a thicker top leaf and rubber bushing with steel sleeve, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2016.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2015 to August 2016
- Recall reported to NHTSA1 September 2016
- Owners notified24 October 2016
- Latest repair reportQ1 2018 — 62% 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 1 September 2016.
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 Kaufman customer service at 1-336-790-6800.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Kaufman Trailers
- 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.