The defect
Heartland Recreational Vehicles is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Big Country, Bighorn, Elk Ridge, Elk Ridge Express, Landmark, Prowler, Sundance, Sundance XLT, and Silverado fith wheel and travel trailers manufactured February 13, 2013, through April 16, 2013. If the awning installation sequence was not completely followed, the awning motor may unknowingly become damaged.
The risk
If motor damage has occurred, it is possible that the awning can unfurl unexpectedly, either while the trailer is at rest or while in transit, increasing the risk of personal injury or a vehicle crash.
The remedy
Heartland will notify owners and Dometic staff will replace the affected motors with a design that is not subject to an out-of-sequence installation error. The recall began on May 20, 2013. A notification schedule has not yet been provided. Owners may contact Heartland Recreational Trailers at 1-888-262-5992 or Dometic at 1-888-447-0003 for more information. Owners are being instructed not to drive their vehicle until repairs can be performed. Heartland's recall campaign number is 99-01-11.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Heartland BIG Country | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland Bighorn | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland ELK Ridge | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland ELK Ridge Express | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland Landmark | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland Prowler | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland Silverado | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland Sundance | 2013, 2014 |
| Heartland Sundance XLT | 2013, 2014 |
Components: EQUIPMENT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heartland BIG Country | 2013 | 4 | 2 |
| Heartland BIG Country | 2014 | 1 | 2 |
| Heartland Bighorn | 2013 | 6 | 1 |
| Heartland Bighorn | 2014 | 2 | 2 |
| Heartland ELK Ridge | 2013 | 3 | 1 |
| Heartland ELK Ridge | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
| Heartland ELK Ridge Express | 2013 | 0 | 1 |
| Heartland ELK Ridge Express | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
| Heartland Landmark | 2013 | 1 | 2 |
| Heartland Landmark | 2014 | 0 | 2 |
| Heartland Prowler | 2013 | 1 | 2 |
| Heartland Prowler | 2014 | 0 | 2 |
| Heartland Silverado | 2013 | 0 | 2 |
| Heartland Silverado | 2014 | 0 | 2 |
| Heartland Sundance | 2013 | 3 | 3 |
| Heartland Sundance | 2014 | 3 | 3 |
| Heartland Sundance XLT | 2013 | 2 | 1 |
| Heartland Sundance XLT | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
Other equipment recalls in 2013
135 of the 627 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2013 concerned the equipment; Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC filed 62 campaigns in all.
| 13V645000 24 Dec 2013 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| 13V654000 20 Dec 2013 | Starcraft RV, Inc. |
| 13V638000 19 Dec 2013 | Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc. |
| 13V636000 18 Dec 2013 | Altec Industries Inc. |
| 13V623000 16 Dec 2013 | Hino Motors Sales U.S.A., Inc. |
| 13V609000 3 Dec 2013 | Starcraft RV, Inc. |
| 13V593000 25 Nov 2013 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 13V565000 13 Nov 2013 | Sutphen Corporation |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2013