The defect
Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (Heartland) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Torque travel trailers, models T31 and T32, manufactured December 15, 2015, to March 16, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with safety chains on the A-frame that are rated for 11,700 lbs instead of being rated equal to, or greater than, the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the travel trailer
The risk
In the event the main trailer connection fails, the weight of the trailer can break the safety chains if the chains are not strong enough, allowing the trailer to separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Heartland will notify owners, and dealers will replace the existing safety chains with chains that have a 16,200 pound rating, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2016. Owners may contact Heartland customer service at 1-877-262-8032 or by email at parts@heartlandrvs.com.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Heartland Torque | 2016, 2017 |
Components: EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER | TRAILER HITCHES
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 Torque | 2016 | 0 | 6 |
| Heartland Torque | 2017 | 0 | 3 |
Other equipment recalls in 2016
158 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the equipment; Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC filed 62 campaigns in all.
| 16V954000 28 Dec 2016 | Keystone RV Company |
| 16V934000 27 Dec 2016 | HME, Inc. |
| 16V930000 23 Dec 2016 | Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. |
| 16V909000 16 Dec 2016 | C & M Trailers Inc. |
| 16V904000 15 Dec 2016 | Halcore Group, Inc. |
| 16V894000 13 Dec 2016 | Gulf Stream Coach, Inc. |
| 16V887000 9 Dec 2016 | Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., Inc. |
| 16V882000 8 Dec 2016 | Starcraft RV |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016