- Vehicles
- 113
- Built between
- Jan 1977 – Jul 1979
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- Not yet
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1977 and July 1979. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1977-1979 Sportsmobile SportsmobileBuilt January 1977 to July 1979
What the defect is
The front retainer strap for the expandable top may not have been installed on the involved vehicles. The side retainer lock downs may eventually fail and the top could rise to the fully extended position.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL SEND OWNER A MECHANICAL OVER CENTER LATCH TYPE LOCK TO BE INSTALLED BY OWNER OR BY DEALER FREE OF CHARGE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1977 to July 1979
- Recall reported to NHTSA25 April 1980
No owner-notification date has been published yet. Manufacturers normally write to registered owners within 60 days of reporting a recall.
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 April 1980.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- SPORTSMOBILE, INC.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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
Vehicle description: vans equipped with penthouse expandable tops.system: equipment; expandable top, retainer strap.consequences of defect: the top could rise without prior warning, causing lossof vehicle control and, possibly, an accident.
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.