The defect
ON CERTAIN TRAVEL TRAILERS, THE WEIGHT RATING OF THE "D" RING TYPE CABLE LANYARD USED TO SUPPORT THE REAR ACCESS DOOR DURING OPENING AND CLOSING MAY BE INSUFFICIENT TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT THE DOOR.
The risk
IN THE EVENT THAT THE "D" RING FAILS, THE REAR ACCESS DOOR COULD RELEASE UNEXPECTEDLY, WHICH COULD CREATE A HAZARD TO THE PERSON LOWERING THE REAR ACCESS DOOR AND ANY BYSTANDERS.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING "D" RING WITH A HIGHER WEIGHT-RATED "D" RING THAT ADEQUATELY SUPPORTS THE REAR ACCESS DOOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 22, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT THOR AT 1-570-837-1663.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thor Sport Utility | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thor Sport Utility | 1998 | 0 | 1 |
| Thor Sport Utility | 1999 | 0 | 1 |
| Thor Sport Utility | 2000 | 0 | 1 |
| Thor Sport Utility | 2001 | 0 | 1 |
| Thor Sport Utility | 2002 | 2 | 1 |
| Thor Sport Utility | 2003 | 2 | 1 |
Other structure recalls in 2003
21 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the structure.
| 03V535000 18 Dec 2003 | BIG DOG MOTORCYCLES, LLC |
| 03V533000 12 Dec 2003 | TRAIL KING INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 03V469000 12 Nov 2003 | BENSON INTERNATIONAL, INC. |
| 03V439000 4 Nov 2003 | GLAVAL BUS DIVISION |
| 03V458000 24 Oct 2003 | CHAMPION BUS, INC. |
| 03V403000 16 Oct 2003 | MID BUS CORPORATION |
| 03V363000 8 Oct 2003 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 03V350000 26 Sept 2003 | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003