Elkhart Suspension: U-Bolt, Leaf Spring to Axle

Elkhart is recalling about 144 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. The loose U-bolts may further loosen or break allowing the axle to separate and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
18V366000
Manufacturer
Forest River, Inc.
Reported
1 June 2018
Vehicles
144
Built between
Mar 2018 – May 2018
Models
7
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
27 June 2018
Repaired
38%
Unrepaired
89

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 2018 and May 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2018 Elkhart ECE4Built April 2018 to May 2018
  • 2018 Forest River RockportBuilt March 2018 to April 2018
  • 2018 Glaval Bus CommuteBuilt April 2018 to May 2018
  • 2018-2019 Starcraft Bus AllstarBuilt March 2018 to May 2018
  • 2018-2019 Starcraft Bus Allstar MVPBuilt March 2018 to May 2018
  • 2018-2019 Starcraft Bus Senator IIBuilt March 2018 to May 2018
  • 2018-2019 Starcraft Bus Senator II MVPBuilt March 2018 to May 2018

Repair progress

89 of 144 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2021.

38% repaired — 55 of 144 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

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Forest River Rockport, Elkhart Coach ECE4 and Glaval Bus Commute, and 2018-2019 Starcraft Bus Allstar, Allstar MVP, Senator II and Senator II MVP transit buses. The U-bolts on the rear axle that hold the leaf spring and rear axle together may have been insufficiently tightened.

What could happen

The loose U-bolts may further loosen or break allowing the axle to separate and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the tightness of the U-bolt, replacing or tightening the U-bolt as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2018.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2018 to May 2018
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA1 June 2018
  3. Owners notified27 June 2018
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2021 — 38% 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 June 2018.

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 Rockport customer service at 1-888-711-1600, Glaval customer service at 1-800-445-2825, Starcraft customer service at 1-800-348-7440, and Elkhart customer service at 1-866- 478-7652. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0752.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
51-0752
Recalling manufacturer
Forest River, 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.

Same component

Same brand