The defect
REAR AXLE BEARINGS MAY FAIL DUE TO A BENDING MOMENT CREATED BY THE AFTERMARKET DUAL REAR WHEELS FROM A VARIETY OF FACTORS AND ESPECIALLY WHEN OVERLOADED. FAILURE OF THE BEARINGS CREATE STRESSES ON THE REAR AXLE, RESULTING IN THE BREAKAGE OF THE AXLE.
The risk
A BROKEN AXLE WILL CAUSE SEPARATION OF THE DUAL REARWHEEL ASSEMBLY FROM THE MOTORHOME, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL WHICH COULD RESULT AN ACCIDENT.
The remedy
REPLACE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLIES WITH FULL-FLOATING REAR AXLE ASSEMBLIES. ALSO, LITERATURE WILL BE CIRCULATED CAUTIONING VEHICLE OWNERS NOT TO OVERLOAD THE MICRO-MINI MOTORHOMES.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Coachmen | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| Coachmen MRV | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| Coachmen Shasta | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| Coachmen Travelmaster | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
Components: POWER TRAIN: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 | 1984 | 0 | 2 |
| Coachmen | 1985 | 0 | 2 |
| Coachmen | 1986 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen MRV | 1984 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen MRV | 1985 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen MRV | 1986 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen Shasta | 1984 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen Shasta | 1985 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen Shasta | 1986 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen Travelmaster | 1984 | 0 | 1 |
| Coachmen Travelmaster | 1985 | 1 | 1 |
| Coachmen Travelmaster | 1986 | 0 | 1 |
Other power train recalls in 1991
25 of the 220 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1991 concerned the power train; COACHMEN RV COMPANY filed 23 campaigns in all.
| 91V224000 30 Dec 1991 | FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION |
| 91V214000 6 Dec 1991 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 91V198000 14 Nov 1991 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 91V189001 4 Nov 1991 | MAZDA (NORTH AMERICA),INC |
| 91V189000 4 Nov 1991 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 91V183000 21 Oct 1991 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 91V184000 21 Oct 1991 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 91V196000 21 Oct 1991 | MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1991