- Vehicles
- 1,888
- Built between
- Apr 2019 – Aug 2019
- Models
- 10
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 13 November 2019
- Repaired
- 70%
- Unrepaired
- 495
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 2019 and August 2019. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2020 Airstream BambiBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2020 Airstream BasecampBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2020 Airstream CaravelBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream ClassicBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream Flying CloudBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream GlobetrotterBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream InternationalBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream NestBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream SportBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
- 2019-2020 Airstream Tommy BahamaBuilt April 2019 to August 2019
Repair progress
495 of 1,888 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2021.
70% repaired — 1,318 of 1,888 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 75
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
Airstream, Inc. (Airstream) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Sport, Nest, Flying Cloud, International Serenity, International Signature, Classic, Globetrotter and Tommy Bahama trailers and 2020 Basecamp, Bambi and Caravel trailers. Due to improper welding, the Demco ball coupler installed on the travel trailers may not provide enough clamping force on the tow ball, potentially causing the coupler to separate from the tow ball.
What could happen
If the coupler separates from the tow ball, the trailer can detach from the tow vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Airstream will notify owners, and will send a temporary use adaptor that can be slipped over the ball portion of the coupler to allow owners to tow their trailers. For the final remedy, dealers will add a shim plate to the backside of the ball coupler clamp to put it in position to apply the required clamping force on the tow ball, free of charge. The recall began November 13, 2019.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 2019 to August 2019
- Recall reported to NHTSA21 October 2019
- Owners notified13 November 2019
- Latest repair reportQ1 2021 — 70% 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 21 October 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 Airstream customer service at 1-877-596-6505 or 1-937-596-6111 extension 7401 or 7411.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Airstream, 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.