Fontaine Structure

Fontaine is recalling about 100 vehicles over a problem with the structure. The incorrect rear impact guards may not adequately reduce the possibility of a car traveling under the trailer in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the car driver.

Campaign
18V660000
Manufacturer
Fontaine Trailer Company
Reported
24 September 2018
Vehicles
100
Built between
Mar 2018 – Jun 2018
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
14 September 2018
Repaired
98%
Unrepaired
2

Does this affect my vehicle?

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

  • 2019 Fontaine InfinityBuilt March 2018 to June 2018

Repair progress

2 of 100 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2019.

98% repaired — 98 of 100 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

Fontaine Trailer Company (Fontaine) is recalling certain 2019 Fontaine Infinity trailers. These trailers were built with an under ride guard compliant for a wheels back trailer configuration, however, due to the customers design changes, the wheel set was moved forward and the vehicles no longer meet the definition of a wheels back trailer. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 223, "Rear Impact Guards," and 224, "Rear Impact Protection."

What could happen

The incorrect rear impact guards may not adequately reduce the possibility of a car traveling under the trailer in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the car driver.

What gets fixed

Fontaine will notify owners, and dealers will remove the C-channel style horizontal member and replace it with a 4-inch tube and reinforcement gusset, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2018 to June 2018
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA24 September 2018
  3. Owners notified14 September 2018
  4. Latest repair reportQ4 2019 — 98% 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 24 September 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 Fontaine customer service at 1-877-345-9526.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Fontaine Trailer Company
Safety standard
FMVSS 223
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