NHSTA Safety Recalls

Below is a excerpt from an article, The Real Reason for the RV Recall Surge, written by Greg Gerber. This excerpt is most important for every RV owner to understand what their responsibility is toward vehicle safety.

Expect more recalls

The RV industry should expect to see many more recalls being issued in the months and years ahead. NHTSA is engaging in a consumer education effort to encourage RV owners to report vehicle safety issues directly to NHTSA.

Here are some of the situations for which NHTSA would like consumers to communicate directly to the agency:

• Steering components that break suddenly causing partial or complete loss of vehicle control.
• Problems with fuel system components, particularly in their susceptibility to crash damage, that result in leakage of fuel and possibly cause vehicle fires.
• Accelerator controls that may break or stick.
• Wheels that crack or break, resulting in loss of vehicle control.
• Engine cooling fan blades that break unexpectedly causing injury to persons working on a vehicle.
• Windshield wiper assemblies that fail to operate properly.
• Seats and/or seat backs that fail unexpectedly during normal use.
• Critical vehicle components that break, fall apart, or separate from the vehicle, causing potential loss of vehicle control or injury to persons inside or outside the vehicle.
• Wiring system problems that result in a fire or loss of lighting.
• Vehicle ramps or jacks that may collapse and cause injury to someone working on a vehicle.
• Air bags that deploy under conditions for which they are not intended to deploy.
• Child safety seats that contain defective safety belts, buckles, or components that create a risk of injury, not only in a vehicle crash but also in non-operational safety of a motor vehicle.
• Suspected tire defects.

Examples of defects that are not considered to be safety-related problems include:

• Air conditioners and radios that do not operate properly.
• Ordinary wear of equipment that has to be inspected, maintained and replaced periodically. Such equipment includes shock absorbers, batteries, brake pads and shoes, and exhaust systems.
• Nonstructural or body panel rust.
• Quality of paint or cosmetic blemishes.
• Excessive oil consumption.

Consumers who feel their recreation vehicles may have a safety defect, are encouraged to fill out a five-step form on the NHTSA website. There are separate forms to fill out for problems with tires, components and child safety restraints.

Greg Gerber is the editor and founder of RV Daily Report. A native of Madison, Wis., he moved to Phoenix in 2009 to escape the endless winters and wicked humidity of the six-week "summer" season. He's a DODO -- Dad of Daughter's Only -- who would crawl across the desert on his hands and knees for an In-N-Out Double Double. He has visited every state except Hawaii and is anxiously waiting for some RV company to host a conference in the Aloha State.