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2017 Champion Defender — federal recalls on file

2 federal recalls reported for the 2017 Champion Defender

These are federal recalls reported for the 2017 Champion Defender. A recall may apply only to certain VIN ranges or production windows. To confirm whether your specific VIN is in the affected window, use NHTSA's official per-VIN lookup or enter your VIN on our check page.

18V-798 Open recall Nov 12, 2018

Champion Bus, Inc.

SEATS

Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Champion Challenger, Defender, LF Transport, Goshen G-Force, and Impulse transit buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. 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 number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."

Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Champion will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began December 19, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-1753, extension 415 or Freedman customer service at 1-800-527-7477. The repair is free at any franchised dealer of your brand.

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18V-573 Open recall Aug 30, 2018

Champion Bus, Inc.

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

Champion Bus (Champion) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Champion American Coach, American Crusader, American S2, Challenger, Crusader, Defender, and Impulse vehicles, equipped with certain S-Series and K-Series Titanium Wheelchair Lifts, models K200, K201, K550, K551, S200, S2201, S550 and S551. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in use, allowing the platform to travel higher than the vehicle's floor height.

Risk: If the wheelchair lift platform stops above the vehicle floor, the wheelchair user can tip inwards toward the vehicle when exiting the lift, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the injection molded cam with an aluminum machined cam, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service 1-810-724-1753 extension 415 or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884 or by emailing Ricon at Admin18E044@wabtec.com. The repair is free at any franchised dealer of your brand.

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