RoadVitals

2012 Champion Challenger

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Jun 5, 2018
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
5
Latest Aug 30, 2018
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2012 Champion Challenger, most frequently naming the engine category. 5 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

5 campaigns cover this model year

View all 5

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
18V573000

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

Aug 30, 2018
219 units potentially affected
The 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.
The 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.
The 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].
Champion Bus, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov
15V757000

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

Nov 16, 2015
1,338 units potentially affected
The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
Champion Bus, Inc.Manufacturer number 15E-068View on NHTSA.gov
14V821000

EQUIPMENT

Dec 29, 2014
773 units potentially affected
The 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."
The 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.
The 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.
Champion Bus, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Jun 5, 2018

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

NHTSA ID
11100039
Incident
Jan 6, 2018
Mileage
80,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

2018-002

SEATS

The mounting bolt to install the Freedman driver?s seat to the Ford OEM seat track may not have been sufficiently tightened during installation.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Champion Challenger by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2024010—
2023010—
2019010—
2018020—
2017020—
2016020—
2015040—
2014160—
2013070—
2012Viewing150—
2011040—
2010080—
20090110—
20080100—
2007090—
2006090—
2005080—
2004030—
2003020—
2002031—
2001031—
2000031—
1999020—
1998010—
1997010—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.