The Recall Desk
HighNHTSA·14V821000·Announced 2014-12-29

Champion and Federal Coach Buses Recalled for Inadequate Warning Triangle Reflectivity

Champion Bus is recalling 2012-2014 buses because certain triangle warning signs may not reflect enough light, failing federal safety standards.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a safety component (warning triangles) that fails to meet federal standards, creating a risk of crash due to inadequate visibility. No injuries or deaths are reported in the source text, fitting the 'High' criteria for risk-of-harm products where injury has not yet been reported.

Plain-English summary

Champion Bus, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 American Crusader, Challenger, Crusader, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, Defender, EZ-Street, HC American, HCAC, LF Transport, M1235, Platinum Shuttle, Stacked Rail, and Federal Coach Premier, and Spirit transit buses. The recall affects vehicles manufactured between January 1, 2012, and October 1, 2014, that are equipped with specific triangle warning signs manufactured by Imperial Supplies, LLC.

Test reports indicate that these triangle warning signs, labeled C&J, may reflect an inadequate amount of light. Consequently, these warning kits fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 125, "Warning devices." Warning triangles that do not properly reflect light may fail to warn others that a vehicle is parked, which increases the risk of a crash.

Champion will notify owners to inspect their triangles for production dates between April 2011 and April 2014. The affected triangles will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2015. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-6474 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
CHAMPION, FEDERAL COACH CHALLENGER, CRUSADER, DEFENDER, HCAC
Brand
CHAMPION
Manufacturer
Champion Bus, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Transit Bus
Hazard
Affected units
773

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (15)

  • CHALLENGER
  • CRUSADER
  • DEFENDER
  • HCAC
  • PLATINUM SHUTTLE
  • STACKED RAIL
  • LF TRANSPORT
  • CTS-FE
  • CTS-RE
  • M1235
  • EZ-STREET
  • SPIRIT
  • PREMIER
  • HC AMERICAN
  • AMERICAN CRUSADER

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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