The defect
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Coachmen Freedom Express recreational trailers. The frames on these vehicles may not have had reinforcement stiffeners welded onto the exterior I-Beam in the axle area, allowing the axles to be misaligned.
The risk
Misaligned axles can affect vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Forest River will notify owners, and the frame manufacturer will inspect the trailer for frame reinforcements, installing them as necessary and secure the axle mountings, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8205, or Lippert Components customer service at 1-574-537-8900. Forest River's number for this recall is 220-0529.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Coachmen Freedom Express | 2013, 2014 |
Components: STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coachmen Freedom Express | 2013 | 6 | 3 |
| Coachmen Freedom Express | 2014 | 4 | 3 |
Other structure recalls in 2017
38 of the 810 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2017 concerned the structure; Forest River, Inc. filed 592 campaigns in all.
| 17V832000 20 Dec 2017 | Wabash National Corporation |
| 17V798000 12 Dec 2017 | Corp. Micro Bird Inc. |
| 17V763000 29 Nov 2017 | Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC |
| 17V697000 3 Nov 2017 | Highland Ridge RV |
| 17V684000 27 Oct 2017 | East Manufacturing Corp. |
| 17V680000 26 Oct 2017 | Tremcar |
| 17V675000 25 Oct 2017 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 17V656000 16 Oct 2017 | Smeal Holding LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2017