The defect
THE BRAUN CORPORATION IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2010 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY AND DODGE CARAVAN MOBILITY CONVERSIONS WHICH WERE ALTERED BY BRAUN BETWEEN JANUARY 21, 2009 AND MARCH 19, 2010. DURING CONVERSION, THE CHASSIS WAS RAISED AND THE FLOOR WAS LOWERED TO ACCOMMODATE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES. IN RAISING THE CHASSIS, THE REAR SPRING HATS COME INTO CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE REAR TIRES. IN ROUGH OR AGGRESSIVE DRIVING SITUATIONS THE TIRES MAY INTERMITTENTLY CONTACT THE REAR SPRING HATS.
The risk
CONTACT BETWEEN THE TIRE SPRING HAT MAY WEAR A HOLE IN THE TIRE OVER TIME. THIS MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL IN THE EVENT OF TIRE PRESSURE LOSS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
BRAUN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 4, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BRAUN TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-488-0359.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Braun Town And Country | 2010 |
| Braun Town & Country | 2008, 2009 |
| Dodge Caravan | 2008, 2009, 2010 |
Components: SUSPENSION:REAR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Town & Country | 2008 | 97 | 3 |
| Braun Town & Country | 2009 | 29 | 3 |
| Braun Town And Country | 2010 | 38 | 2 |
| Dodge Caravan | 2008 | 302 | 2 |
| Dodge Caravan | 2009 | 118 | 2 |
| Dodge Caravan | 2010 | 172 | 2 |
Other suspension recalls in 2010
21 of the 647 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2010 concerned the suspension; BRAUN CORPORATION filed 6 campaigns in all.
| 10V656000 24 Dec 2010 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC |
| 10V643000 17 Dec 2010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 10V640000 16 Dec 2010 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) |
| 10V580000 10 Nov 2010 | VANGUARD NATIONAL TRAILER CORPORATION |
| 10V545000 5 Nov 2010 | UTILITY TRAILER MANUFACTURING COMPANY |
| 10V501000 21 Oct 2010 | GREAT DANE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
| 10V506000 12 Oct 2010 | HYUNDAI TRANSLEAD |
| 10V488000 8 Oct 2010 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2010