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.
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 8 recall notices during January 2020. These recalls involved 5 recreational vehicle manufacturers—Forest River (4 recalls), Airstream (1 recall), Riverside RV (1 recall), MCI (1 recall), and Winnebago (1 recall).
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Dynamax Rev and Coachmen Orion motorhomes built on Ram ProMaster chassis equipped with 3.0L diesel or 3.6L gasoline engines and air conditioning (A/C). The engine cooling fan may seize which can cause the cooling fan motor to overheat.
Forest River will notify owners. The remedy for this recall is still under development. The recall is expected to begin February 1, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440 or Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Forest River’s number for this recall is 51-1121 and Chrysler’s number for this recall is VB2.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Shockwave Toyhauler SHT18FS-CA trailers. The Federal Placard indicates the incorrect tire pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, “Tire Selection and Rims.”
Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 2, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-909-873-3777. Forest River’s number for this recall is 19-1126.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Rockport Work Truck vehicles. The roof and front cap may have been improperly fastened together, potentially allowing the roof to detach from the front cap and vehicle.
Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and properly secure the roofs, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 9, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-522-7599. Forest River’s number for this recall is 51-1123.
Forest River
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Georgetown GTA34H5F motorhomes. The rubber liquid propane (LP) gas line may have been improperly routed against the metal burner chamber of the refrigerator.
Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will reroute the LP line away from the burn chamber, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 9, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River’s number for this recall is 68-1125.
Airstream
Airstream, Inc. (Airstream) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Interstate motorhomes. The Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity (OCCC) Label may indicate the incorrect occupant cargo carrying capacity, which can allow the vehicle to be overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 120, “Wheels and Rims – Other Than Passenger Cars.”
Airstream will notify owners, and dealers will provide new OCCC labels with the correct occupant and cargo carry capacity, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 13, 2020. Owners may contact Airstream customer service at 1-877-596-6505 or 1-937-596-6111 extension 7401 or 7411.
Riverside RV
Riverside RV (Riverside) is recalling certain 2020 Intrepid recreational trailers. The stove top flame may invert to below the stove top when the furnace engages.
Riverside will notify owners, and dealers will install a panel to shut off air flow between furnace and stove, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2020. Owners may contact Riverside customer 1-260-499-4511
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.
Motor Coach Industries (MCI)
Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is recalling certain 2018-2020 D4505 and D4500 coaches equipped with an optional steerable tag axle. The tag axle mounting block clamps that retain the tie rod to obtain the forward steer orientation may slip, resulting in the tag axle being out of alignment.
MCI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the block clamps and retorque the fasteners, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 3, 2020. Owners may contact MCI customer service at 1-800-241-2947.
Winnebago
Winnebago Industries, Inc (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2020 Adventurer motorhomes. When using 30 AMP service, the heat coil may not disengage when the Power Control System (PCS) calls to stop the air conditioner power.
Winnebago will notify owners, and dealers will install a blocking diode at the air conditioner unit, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 6, 2020. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885. Winnebago’s number for this recall is 161.
Please Note: This is the 12th 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