Champion Recalls Buses with Defective Wheelchair Lifts
Champion is recalling 2012-2018 buses with specific wheelchair lifts where a cam may fail, allowing the platform to rise too high and risk injury.
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 mechanical defect in a wheelchair lift that poses a risk of injury to users, but the source text does not report any specific injuries or fatalities, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for risk-of-harm products without reported injury.
Plain-English summary
Champion Bus, Inc. is recalling certain 2012-2018 Champion American Coach, American Crusader, American S2, Challenger, Crusader, Defender, and Impulse vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain S-Series and K-Series Titanium Wheelchair Lifts, including models K200, K201, K550, K551, S200, S2201, S550, and S551.
The recall addresses a defect in the wheelchair lift positioning input cam. This component may fail while the lift is in use, which allows the platform to travel higher than the vehicle's floor height. If the platform stops above the vehicle floor, a wheelchair user exiting the lift can tip inwards toward the vehicle, increasing their risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the injection molded cam with an aluminum machined cam free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-1753 extension 415 or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
The recalled product
- Product
- CHAMPION DEFENDER, AMERICAN CRUSADER, AMERICAN COACH, CHALLENGER
- Brand
- CHAMPION
- Manufacturer
- Champion Bus, Inc.
- Category
- Vehicle — Bus
- Affected units
- 219
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 (7)
- DEFENDER
- AMERICAN CRUSADER
- AMERICAN COACH
- CHALLENGER
- AMERICAN S2
- IMPULSE
- CRUSADER
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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