Elkhart Coach: Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Elkhart Coach reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 2, 2010 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 200. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ELKHART COACH HAS NOTIFIED NHTSA ABOUT A DEFECT IN CERTAIN TRANSIT BUSES EQUIPPED WITH CERTAIN RICON S SERIES AND K SERIES L-MODEL WHEELCHAIR LIFTS, DUE TO A PROBLEM IN THE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROLS THE LIFT'S "UP" FUNCTION. IF THE "UP" SWITCH IS RELEASED BEFORE THE FLOOR LEVEL LIMIT SWITCH IS ACTIVATED, THE LIFT MAY CONTINUE ITS UPWARD TRAVEL FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 SECOND BEFORE STOPPING. THE CONTINUED UPWARD TRAVEL MAY OVERRUN THE FLOOR LEVEL CUT OFF POINT.
The risk
WHEN THE PLATFORM OVERRUNS THE VEHICLE FLOOR LEVEL AND STOPS AT AN ANGLE FROM 15-20 DEGREES, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR TO TIP OVER AND FOR SOMEONE STANDING ON THE PLATFORM TO FALL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES.
The remedy
ELKHART COACH WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY AUTHORIZED RICON DEALERS FREE OF CHARGE. CURRENTLY RICON IS DEVELOPING A SOFTWARE SOLUTION AND IS NOT AVAILABLE. UNTIL THE SOFTWARE SOLUTION IS AVAILABLE, RICON WILL PROVIDE OWNERS WITH A BULLETIN OUTLINING PROPER WHEELCHAIR LIFT OPERATION AND WILL SHIP OWNERS A DVD-BASED TRAINING AID TO PROMOTE PROPER LIFT OPERATION AT NO COST. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT RICON CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 800- 322-2884, EMAILING AT [email protected].
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Ford E-350 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 Ford E-450 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 Ford E-350 | 39 | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| 2008 Ford E-450 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Ford E-350 | 18 | 35 | 1 | 2 |
| 2007 Ford E-450 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 10V130000.
Full record for the 2009 Ford E-350 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →