- Vehicles
- 76
- Built between
- Apr 2017 – Oct 2018
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 19 December 2018
- Repaired
- 0%
- Unrepaired
- 76
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 2017 and October 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2017-2018 Champion ChallengerBuilt April 2017 to October 2018
- 2017-2018 Champion DefenderBuilt April 2017 to October 2018
- 2017-2018 Champion LF TransportBuilt April 2017 to October 2018
- 2017-2018 Goshen G-ForceBuilt April 2017 to October 2018
- 2017-2018 Goshen ImpulseBuilt April 2017 to October 2018
Repair progress
76 of 76 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2020.
0% repaired — 0 of 76 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 2017-2018 Champion Challenger, Defender, LF Transport, Goshen G-Force, and Impulse transit buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," and number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
What could happen
In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Champion will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began December 19, 2018.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 2017 to October 2018
- Recall reported to NHTSA12 November 2018
- Owners notified19 December 2018
- Latest repair reportQ1 2020 — 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 12 November 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 Champion customer service at 1-810-724-1753, extension 415 or Freedman customer service at 1-800-527-7477.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Champion Bus, Inc.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 207
- 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.