The defect
On July 20, 2018 Braun Corporation (Braun) filed a recall for certain 2017-2018 BraunAbility Dodge Side Entry Vans with a manual in-floor wheelchair ramp built on Dodge RT minivan chassis. The brake lines may not be connected to the corresponding ports on the hydraulic control unit, causing reduced performance of the electronic stability control (ESC) system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems," and 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems." On August 21, 2018, Braun expanded this recall to include an additional 31,165 vehicles. Included in this update are 2012-2016 BraunAbility Dodge Side Entry Vans and 2012-2018 Chrysler Town and Country Side Entry Vans.
The risk
A reduction of ESC function can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Braun will notify owners, and dealers will reroute the right rear brake line to the left wheel, and install a brake line extension to reroute the left rear brake line to the right rear wheel. This repair will be completed free of charge. The recall began on August 17, 2018. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
Components: ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2012 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2013 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2014 | 1 | 1 |
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2015 | 1 | 1 |
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2016 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2017 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Chrysler Wheelchair Van | 2018 | 1 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2012 | 2 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2013 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2015 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2016 | 2 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2017 | 0 | 1 |
| Braunability Dodge Wheelchair Van | 2018 | 0 | 1 |
Other electronic stability control (esc) recalls in 2018
4 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the electronic stability control (esc); Braun Corporation filed 23 campaigns in all.
| 18V289000 3 May 2018 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 18V290000 3 May 2018 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 18V122000 20 Feb 2018 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018