- Vehicles
- 36
- Built between
- Mar 2016 – Jun 2018
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 8 March 2019
- Repaired
- 11%
- Unrepaired
- 32
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2016 and June 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2016-2019 Elkhart ECE3Built March 2016 to June 2018
- 2016-2019 Elkhart ECE4Built March 2016 to June 2018
Repair progress
32 of 36 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2021.
11% repaired — 4 of 36 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 2016-2019 Elkhart ECE3 and ECE4 buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats. 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 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
Forest River has notified owners, and Freedman will repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall begin March 8, 2019.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2016 to June 2018
- Recall reported to NHTSA1 March 2019
- Owners notified8 March 2019
- Latest repair reportQ2 2021 — 11% 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 March 2019.
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 Forest River Customer Service at 1-(574) 327-2700 or Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540. Forest River's number for this recall is 42-0975.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 42-0975
- Recalling manufacturer
- Forest River, 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.