Your recreational vehicle may be involved in a safety recall and may create a safety risk for you or your passengers. Safety defects must be repaired by a certified dealer at no cost to you. However, if left unrepaired, a potential safety defect in your vehicle could lead to injury or even death.
What is a recall?
When a manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that a recreational vehicle or item of RV equipment creates an unreasonable risk to safety or fails to meet minimum safety standards, the manufacturer is required to fix that vehicle or equipment at no cost to the consumer.
NHTSA releases its most recent list of recalls each Monday.
The number of RV recalls has increased significantly in recent years: 169 recalls were issued during 2016, 203 recalls during 2017, and 230 for 2018.
It should be noted that RV recalls are related to vehicle safety and not product quality.
NHTSA has no interest in an air conditioner failing to cool or slide out failing to extend or retract—unless they can be directly attributed to product safety.
NHTSA announced 22 recall notices during April 2019. These recalls involved 9 recreational vehicle manufacturers—Jayco (7 recalls), Forest River (5 recalls), Entegra Coach (3 recalls), Keystone RV Company (2 recalls), Triple E (1 recall), KZRV (1 recall), Highland Ridge RV (1 recall), Thor Motor Coach (1 recall), Newmar (1 recall)
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2019 Jayco Embark motorhomes built on a Spartan chassis, equipped with independent front suspension and front drum brakes. The cotter pins may be missing or improperly installed at the actuator rod of the front slack adjuster for the front brakes.
Spartan has notified owners, and Spartan Service Centers will inspect and properly install the cotter pin or install any missing pins and adjust the brakes appropriately, free of charge. The recall began on February 28, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137.
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2019 North Point Fifth Wheel recreational trailers equipped with cargo trays. The rivets that secure the stop bracket to the cargo tray may shear allowing the cargo tray to detach
Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will replace the hollow rivets with structural rivets, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco’s customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco’s number for this recall is 9901431.
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Seismic fifth wheel trailers equipped with optional hydraulic brakes. The brake lines may have been incorrectly routed between the frame and axle, possibly resulting in the brake lines being pinched or cut.
Jayco will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake lines, correcting and replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in April 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco’s number for this recall is 9901426.
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2018 Jayco Talon and Seismic fifth wheel trailers. Incorrect hardware may have been used to secure the fuel tank that is used for refilling vehicles
Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will install the correct fuel tank mounting hardware, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 29, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco’s number for this recall is 9901430.
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2019 Jayco North Point and Pinnacle fifth wheel trailers equipped with Carefree Altitude Series awnings. The awning circuit incorrectly has a 15amp fuse instead of a 5amp one.
Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will replace the 15amp fuse with a 5amp fuse, free of charge. The recall began on March 22, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco’s number for this recall is 9901428.
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2019 Jayco Greyhawk and Redhawk motorhomes. The parking brake cable ends may be too small, allowing the cable to disconnect, preventing the emergency brake from engaging.
Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake cable, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco’s customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco’s number for this recall is 9803428.
Jayco
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Jayco Embark motorhomes. While the motorhome was being delivered, the hitch may have been damaged, compromising the motorhome’s ability to safely tow vehicles.
Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will replace the hitch, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco’s number for this recall is 9903429.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Forest River Sabre trailers. The Federal Placard may incorrectly state that the trailer has 6,000 lb. capacity axles when the trailer actually has 5,200 lb. capacity axles.
Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will provide replacement placards that indicate the correct axle weight rating, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-2100. The Forest River number for this recall is 62-0972.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Elkhart ECE3 and ECE4 buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, “Seating Systems,” and 210, “Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages.”
Forest River has notified owners, and Freedman will repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall begin March 8, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-(574) 327-2700 or Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540. Forest River’s number for this recall is 42-0975.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Forest River Surveyor recreational trailers, models SVT201RBLE, SVT201RBLE-47 and SVT201RBS-47. The Federal Placard indicates that the vehicles have 3,500 lb. capacity axles, whereas the vehicles actually have 2,500 lb. capacity axles.
Forest River has notified owners and provided replacement placards that contain the accurate axle weight capacity information, free of charge. The recall began on March 18, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River’s customer service at 1-574-642-3119. Forest River’s numbers for this recall are 37-0979 and 47-0979.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Georgetown motorhomes. The front overhead bunk latch board may be insufficiently secured and may fall while the vehicle is in motion.
Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will additionally secure the bunk latch board, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River’s number for this recall is 68-0978.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Orion Class C, Freelander Class C, and Leprechaun Class C motorhomes, Rockport work trucks, and Berkshire Ultra Coach, and StarCraft shuttle buses, equipped with ASA Electronics back up mirror-monitors, model number VOM74MM. The affected displays may revert back to the factory default settings, causing the camera image to be reversed.
Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will install a harness/relay/capacitor module, free of charge. The recall began April 8, 2019. Orion, Freelander, and Leprechaun owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8602. Rockport owners should call 1-574-522-7599 and Berkshire, and Starcraft owners should call 1-574-642-3112. ASA Customer service can be reached at 1-800-384-4400. Forest River’s number for this recall is 51-0980.
Entegra Coach
Entegra Coach (Entegra) is recalling certain 2019 Reatta motorhomes built on a Spartan chassis, equipped with independent front suspension and front drum brakes. The cotter pins may be missing or improperly installed at the actuator rod of the front slack adjuster for the front brakes.
Entegra will notify owners, and Spartan Service Centers will inspect and properly install the cotter pin or install any missing pins and adjust the brakes appropriately, free of charge. The recall began on February 28, 2019. Owners may contact Entegra customer service at 1-800-517-9137.
Entegra Coach
Entegra Coach (Entegra) is recalling certain 2019 Esteem motorhomes. The parking brake cable ends may be too small, allowing the cable to disconnect, preventing the emergency brake from engaging.
Entegra has notified owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake cable, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Entegra customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Entegra’s number for this recall is 9903428.
Entegra Coach
Entegra Coach (Entegra) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Entegra Reatta motorhomes. While the motorhome was being delivered, the tow hitch may have been damaged, compromising the motorhome’s ability to safely tow vehicles.
Entegra has notified owners, and dealers will replace the hitch, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Entegra’s customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Entegra’s number for this recall is 9903429.
Keystone RV Company
Keystone RV Company (Keystone) is recalling certain 2019 Alpine and High Country Montana recreational trailers and 2018-2019 Avalanche and Montana recreational trailers equipped with cargo trays. The rivets that secure the stop bracket to the cargo tray may shear allowing the cargo tray to detach.
Keystone RV has notified owners, and dealers will replace the affected fasteners, free of charge. The recall began March 26, 2019. Owners may contact Keystone RV’s customer service at 1-866-425-4369. Keystone RV’s number for this recall is 19-347.
Keystone RV Company
Keystone RV Company (Keystone) is recalling certain 2019 Dutchmen Aspen Trail and Coleman recreational trailers, equipped with a Capital cooktop inside the unit as the main cooking appliance. When the furnace is on, the cooktop flames may become inverted, which may lead to an excessive heat build up and a potential burn hazard.
Keystone has notified owners, and dealers will replace the Capital cooktop with an alternate cooktop, free of charge. The recall began April 5, 2019. Owners may contact Keystone customer service at 1-866-425-4369. Keystone’s number for this recall is 19-348.
Triple E
Triple E Recreational Vehicles is recalling certain 2019 Serenity S24CB motorhomes. A connector wiring error may prevent the 120V electrical outlets from being properly ground-fault protected.
All of the affected motorhomes are still in dealer inventory. Triple E dealers will replace the two pin connector with a 3 pin connector for the ground wires, free of charge. The recall began March 12, 2019. Triple E customer service can be reached at 1-877-992-9906. Triple E’s number for this recall is CA#9280-1.
KZRV
KZRV, L.P. (KZRV) is recalling certain 2019 RV Sonic Lite, Sportsmen Classic and Escape recreational trailers equipped with a Capital liquid propane (LP) Gas Drop-in 2 Burner cooktop. The cooktop’s flame may become inverted when the furnace is running.
KZRV will notify owners, and dealers will replace the existing cooktop with a cooktop by another manufacturer, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 3, 2019. Owners may contact KZRV customer service at 1-800-768-4016 extension 154 or 153. KZRV’s number for this recall is KZ-2019-01.
Highland Ridge RV
Highland Ridge RV (Highland) is recalling certain 2019 Mesa Ridge Lite 2804RK and Open Range Ultra Lite 2804RK travel trailers. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), shown on the label as 7,675lbs, exceeds the safety chain rating of 7,600lbs. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, “Tire Selection and Rims.”
Highland has notified owners and provide corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2019. Owners may contact Highland RV’s customer service at 1-260-768-7771. Highland’s number for this recall is 9904427.
Thor Motor Coach
Thor Motor Coach (TMC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Aria, and 2019 Palazzo motorhomes built on a Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) chassis equipped with Detroit Axle axles. The affected vehicles may have loose steering and tie rod arm bolts.
TMC has notified owners, and DTNA dealers will inspect the steering arm and tie rod arm bolts for to make sure that they are properly tightened, installing new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Daimler Trucks North America at 1-800-547-0712 to locate a Qualified Service Center or may contact TMC customer service at 1-877-855-2867. TMC’s number for this recall is RC000166.
Newmar
Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Ventana motorhomes built on a Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) chassis equipped with Detroit Axle axles. The affected vehicles may have loose steering and tie rod arm bolts.
Newmar will notify owners, and DTNA dealers will inspect the steering arm and tie rod arm bolts to make sure that they are properly tightened, installing new fasteners, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 18, 2019. Owners may contact Daimler Trucks North America at 1-800-547-0712 to locate a Qualified Service Center or can contact Newmar customer service at 1-800-731-8300. Newmar’s number for this recall is 18V-913.
Note: 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.
Please Note: This is the third in a series of posts relating to RV Manufacturers Recalls
Worth Pondering…
It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.
—Martin Van Buren