Champion Structure: Escape/Egress/Exit

Champion is recalling about 362 vehicles over a problem with the structure. If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Campaign
19V554000
Manufacturer
Champion Bus, Inc.
Reported
25 July 2019
Vehicles
362
Built between
Aug 2018 – Jul 2019
Models
7
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
16 September 2019
Repaired
57%
Unrepaired
156

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 2018 and July 2019. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2019 Champion ChallengerBuilt August 2018 to July 2019
  • 2019 Champion CrusaderBuilt August 2018 to July 2019
  • 2019 Champion DefenderBuilt August 2018 to July 2019
  • 2019 Champion LF TransportBuilt August 2018 to July 2019
  • 2019 Goshen G-ForceBuilt August 2018 to July 2019
  • 2019 Goshen ImpulseBuilt August 2018 to July 2019
  • 2019 Goshen Pacer IIBuilt August 2018 to July 2019

Repair progress

156 of 362 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2020.

57% repaired — 206 of 362 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 2019 Challenger, Crusader, Defender and LF Transport and Goshen G-Force, Impulse and Pacer II shuttle buses equipped with Prolo roof emergency escape hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use.

What could happen

If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

What gets fixed

Champion will notify owners, and dealers will replace the handle, free of charge. The recall began September 16, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 2018 to July 2019
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA25 July 2019
  3. Owners notified16 September 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ4 2020 — 57% 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 25 July 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 Champion customer service 1-810-724-1753, extension 415.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Champion Bus, Inc.
Safety standard
FMVSS 217
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