- Vehicles
- 5,376
- Built between
- Sep 1979 – Jan 1980
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 June 1980
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1979 and January 1980. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1980 Columbia CommuterBuilt September 1979 to January 1980
- 1980 Columbia ImperialBuilt September 1979 to January 1980
- 1980 Columbia Open RoadBuilt September 1979 to January 1980
- 1980 Columbia Western FlyerBuilt September 1979 to January 1980
What the defect is
Vehicles may not conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 122, "motorcycle brake systems", which requires that each of the mopeds be equipped with two independently activated service brake systems. On the involved vehicles, the steel brake drum may have been left out of either the front or rear wheel hub.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF A BRAKE DRUM IS MISSING, WILL REPLACE THE ENTIRE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WITHOUT CHARGE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1979 to January 1980
- Recall reported to NHTSA17 June 1980
- Owners notified9 June 1980
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 17 June 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
- COLUMBIA MFG. CO.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 122
- 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
Vehicle description: mopeds.system: service brakes; brake drum.consequences of defect: omission of a brake drum will result in a complete lackof braking capability in either the front or rear brake systems. Loss ofvehicle control and an accident could occur.note: owner may check the vehicle by squeezing the brake levers. If the levercomes into contact with the handle bar grip, a brake drum may be missing andmoped should be repaired before further operation.
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.