- Vehicles
- 45
- Built between
- May 1997 – Jun 1998
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 21 August 1998
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 1997 and June 1998. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-1998 Orion IIBuilt May 1997 to June 1998
What the defect is
Vehicle description: transit buses equipped with challenger 2000 model 170 series alternators. The positive power stud may not be properly seated in place causing a loose connection. This loose connection causes an over-heat condition when the alternator is under a load. Also the material used to insulate the power stud from the rectifier can tear and cause the positive power stud to ground to the alternator case.
What could happen
The alternator can get hot enough to catch fire which could spread to other areas of the vehicle.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE ALTERNATORS.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 1997 to June 1998
- Recall reported to NHTSA10 August 1998
- Owners notified21 August 1998
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 10 August 1998.
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
- ORION BUS INDUSTRIES, 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
Owner notification is expected to begin during august 1998.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact north power LLC at 1-716-492-2278 or orion bus at 1-905-403-1111.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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.