2012 Champion Challenger

Routine

Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 5 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine1
000

5 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility18V573000
Filed Aug 30, 2018219 vehiclesChampion Bus, Inc.

Defect. Champion Bus (Champion) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Champion American Coach, American Crusader, American S2, Challenger, Crusader, Defender, and Impulse vehicles, equipped with certain S-Series and K-Series Titanium Wheelchair Lifts, models K200, K201, K550, K551, S200, S2201, S550 and S551. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in use, allowing the platform to travel higher than the vehicle's floor height.

Risk. If the wheelchair lift platform stops above the vehicle floor, the wheelchair user can tip inwards toward the vehicle when exiting the lift, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the injection molded cam with an aluminum machined cam, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service 1-810-724-1753 extension 415 or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884 or by emailing Ricon at [email protected].

Equipment Adaptive/Mobility15V757000
Filed Nov 16, 20151,338 vehiclesChampion Bus, Inc.

Defect. Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion) is recalling certain model year 2006-2015 Challenger, Defender, Crusader, American, American Coach, American Crusader, Corporal, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, HC American, Platinum Shuttle, and Stacked Rail transit buses manufactured January 1, 2006, to August 25, 2015, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts. The affected lifts are equipped with folding link arms that may have pivot holes that are too big, allowing the bearings to move out of position.

Risk. If the bearings move out of position, the stowed platform may have excessive movement resulting in failure of the platform mounting. This failure could cause the wheel chair lift platform to fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, increasing the risk of injury for the lift operator.

Remedy. Champion will notify owners, and Ricon will inspect the link arms for damage or for displaced bearings. The platform will be inspected for cracks. Any damaged parts will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on December 21, 2015. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-1753 extension 415, or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Champion's number for this recall is 15E-068. Note: These buses and wheelchair lifts were subject to a similar recall in 2014. All vehicles that received that recall remedy are still affected by this recall as well.

Equipment14V821000
Filed Dec 29, 2014773 vehiclesChampion Bus, Inc.

Defect. Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 American Crusader, Challenger, Crusader, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, Defender, EZ-Street, HC American, HCAC, LF Transport, M1235, Platinum Shuttle, Stacked Rail, and Federal Coach Premier, and Spirit transit buses manufactured January 1, 2012, to October 1, 2014, equipped with certain triangle warning signs manufactured by Imperial Supplies, LLC. Test reports indicate that the triangle warning signs, labeled C&J, may reflect an inadequate amount of light. As such, these triangle warning kits fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 125, "Warning devices."

Risk. Warning triangles that do not properly reflect light may fail to warn others that a vehicle is parked, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Champion will notify owners to inspect their triangles for production dates between April 2011, to April 2014, and the affected triangles will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2015. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-6474.

Equipment Adaptive/Mobility14V742000
Filed Nov 19, 20141,229 vehiclesChampion Bus, Inc.

Defect. Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion Bus) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 American Coach, American Crusader, Challenger, Corporal, Crusader, CTS-FE, CTS-RE, Defender, HCAC, HC American, Platinum Shuttle, and Stacked Rail transit buses manufactured January 1, 2006, to July 31, 2014, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.

Risk. If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.

Remedy. Champion Bus will notify owners to take buses to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began in November 2014. Owners may contact Champion Bus customer service at 1-810-724-6474. Owners may contact Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884.

Equipment12V593000
Filed Dec 18, 201273 vehiclesChampion Bus, Inc.

Defect. Champion Bus is recalling certain model year 2006, and certain model year 2008-2013 buses, models: American Crusader, Challenger, Crusader, and Defender; manufactured September 30, 2006, through November 16, 2012. The buses are equipped with a Ricon manufactured wheelchair lift which has an optional armored pendant cable. The cable may have been installed such that it doesn't clear the wheelchair lift and without a protective cover, or a misinstalled protective cover.

Risk. The cable may contact the power lug at the base of the wheel chair lift causing a short circuit that could result in a fire.

Remedy. Champion Bus is working with Ricon to notify owners. Ricon will provide a supplemental cover kit with instructions, free of charge. Owners may contact Champion Bus at 1-819-724-6474 or Ricon at 1-818-267-3000.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed Jun 5, 201880,000 milesMO

I WAS DRIVING DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY AND FELT THE VEHICLE HESITATION. THE VEHICLE WON'T PASS INSPECTION DUE TO CYLINDER 5 MISFIRE. THERE IS A DELAY AND A JERK AT TIMES WHEN ACCELERATING. CYLINDER ISSUES COVER FOR THE LEFT SIDE OF ENGINE IS NOT COVERED FOR THE RIGHT SIDE OF ENGINE. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. THERE WAS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM WITH THE 2012 CYLINDER HEADS ETC. I'M NOW BEING TOLD IT ONLY QUALIFIES FOR THE LEFT CYLINDERS AND NOT THE RIGHT ONES. THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG. ALL POSSIBLE DEFECTS DUE TO MANUFACTURING ISSUES IN ALL CYLINDERS SHOULD BE COVERED AS LONG AS MY VEHICLE IS UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY REQUIREMENTS

1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2014
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20240100Routine
20230100Routine
20190100Routine
20180200Routine
20170200Routine
20160200Routine
20150400Routine
20141600Routine
20130700Routine
2012 — this page1500Routine
20110400Routine
20100800Routine
200901100Routine
200801000Routine
20070900Routine
20060900Routine
20050800Routine
20040300Routine
20030200Routine
20020300Routine
20010300Routine
20000300Routine
19990200Routine
19980100Routine
19970100Routine

Compare every Challenger year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Aug 30, 2018. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.