The defect
Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Champion Challenger, Defender, LF Transport, Goshen G-Force, and Impulse transit buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," and number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
The risk
In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
Champion will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began December 19, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-1753, extension 415 or Freedman customer service at 1-800-527-7477.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Champion Challenger | 2017, 2018 |
| Champion Defender | 2017, 2018 |
| Champion LF Transport | 2017, 2018 |
| Goshen G-Force | 2017, 2018 |
| Goshen Impulse | 2017, 2018 |
Components: SEATS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion Challenger | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| Champion Challenger | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| Champion Defender | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
| Champion Defender | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| Champion LF Transport | 2017 | 0 | 1 |
| Champion LF Transport | 2018 | 0 | 1 |
| Goshen G-Force | 2017 | 0 | 1 |
| Goshen G-Force | 2018 | 0 | 1 |
| Goshen Impulse | 2017 | 0 | 4 |
| Goshen Impulse | 2018 | 0 | 4 |
Other seats recalls in 2018
38 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the seats; Champion Bus, Inc. filed 16 campaigns in all.
| 18V939000 31 Dec 2018 | Arcimoto Inc |
| 18V924000 21 Dec 2018 | Collins Bus Corporation |
| 18V926000 18 Dec 2018 | Eldorado National- California, Inc. |
| 18V875000 7 Dec 2018 | Corp. Micro Bird Inc. |
| 18V846000 28 Nov 2018 | Blue Bird Body Company |
| 18V822000 20 Nov 2018 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 18V813000 16 Nov 2018 | ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC |
| 18V803000 14 Nov 2018 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018