RoadVitals

2020 Vanderhall Carmel

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.
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Latest Nov 20, 2024
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.
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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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2020 Vanderhall Carmel, most frequently naming the engine, body & structure and brakes categories. 5 manufacturer communications are 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

  • Engine240.0%
  • Body & structure120.0%
  • Brakes120.0%
  • Seat belts120.0%

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

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

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

Engine
Filed Nov 20, 2024

THE VANDERHALL CARMEL IS A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE, 3-WHEELED AUTOCYCLE WITH AN ALL ALUMINUM BOX FRAME; IT IS POWERED BY A GM 1.5T ENGINE COUPLED TO A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, TRANSVERSE MOUNTED IN A FWD CONFIGURATION. THE REAR ENGINE MOUNT IS BOLTED TO A BRACKET THAT IS WELDED TO THE ALUMINUM FIREWALL. WHILE THE WELDS ON THE BRACKET APPEAR TO BE INTACT, THE ALUMINUM FIREWALL WHERE THE ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET WAS ATTACHED TO HAS A LARGE HORIZONTAL STRESS CRACK JUST ABOVE THE WELDED AREA, WHICH APPEARS TO BE A POINT OF METAL FATIGUE; THE EXPOSED CRACK SHOWS THAT THE METAL WHERE THE ENGINE MOUNT WAS WELDED TO IS TOO THIN TO SUPPORT THE ENGINE DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS; ADDITIONALLY, THIS STRESS CRACK WAS DISCOVERED SHORTLY BEFORE THE VEHICLE REACHED 550 MILES. THERE ARE SEVERAL CRACKS IN THE FIREWALL.

NHTSA ID
11626515
Incident
Jan 29, 2024
BrakesSeat belts
Filed Nov 10, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 VANDERHALL CARMEL THREE WHEEL AUTO-CYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE THREE WHEEL AUTOCYCLE, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED AND RESTARTED AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT DISAPPEARED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS DESIGNED. ADDITIONALLY, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WAS FRAYED AND TORN UPON PURCHASING THE VEHICLE NEW FROM THE DEALER. THE VEHCILE WAS TAKEN TO IRON PONY MOTORSPORTS LOCATED AT 5436 WESTERVILLE RD, WESTERVILLE, OH 43081, WHO REPLACED THE SEAT BELT HOWEVER, AFTER RETRIEVING THE VEHICLE, THE FAILURE WAS STILL PRESENT. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WERE NOT YET DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
11373967
Incident
Jul 1, 2020
Mileage
50 mi
Body & structureEngine
Filed May 21, 2020

THE VANDERHALL CARMEL IS A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE, 3-WHEELED AUTOCYCLE WITH AN ALL ALUMINUM BOX FRAME; IT IS POWERED BY A GM 1.5T ENGINE COUPLED TO A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, TRANSVERSE MOUNTED IN A FWD CONFIGURATION. THE REAR ENGINE MOUNT IS BOLTED TO A BRACKET THAT IS WELDED TO THE ALUMINUM FIREWALL. WHILE THE WELDS ON THE BRACKET APPEAR TO BE INTACT, THE ALUMINUM FIREWALL WHERE THE ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET WAS ATTACHED TO HAS A LARGE HORIZONTAL STRESS CRACK JUST ABOVE THE WELDED AREA, WHICH APPEARS TO BE A POINT OF METAL FATIGUE; THE EXPOSED CRACK SHOWS THAT THE METAL WHERE THE ENGINE MOUNT WAS WELDED TO IS TOO THIN TO SUPPORT THE ENGINE DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS; ADDITIONALLY, THIS STRESS CRACK WAS DISCOVERED SHORTLY BEFORE THE VEHICLE REACHED 500 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ID
11325475
Incident
May 21, 2020
Mileage
490 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

10320

ENGINE

This Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) provides detailed instructions for replacing the ambient air temperature sensor. The "check engine" light may illuminate due to the ambient air temperature sensor being out of range. Integrating the ambient air temperature sensor into the engine harness will prevent fault codes related to the sensor.

20200717-0909

ENGINE; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) provides instructions for implementing the turbo coupler quick connect. When servicing vehicles or addressing customer complaints of a lack of power accompanied by fault codes, it is often due to a charge hose being blown off the inducer housing. The introduction of the coupler quick connect is intended to resolve this issue.

052820

ENGINE

This Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) addresses the “procedure to retrofit a substrcture to the existing frame directly on and behind the firewall on and around rearmost engine mount stabilizing the engine during applied torque.

20200817-1121

SERVICE BRAKES

This Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) provides detailed instructions for relocating the brake line.

TSB 20240627-1646

SUSPENSION

This Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) contains instructions to check, clean, Loctite, and re-torque the radius rod bolt. The radius rods absorb impact to keep load off of the main control arm bushing. Performing this TSB should improve the suspension and overall ride quality of the Vanderhall. If the bolt connecting a radius rod to the chassis becomes loose, this may cause (a) excessive vibration from an impact and (b) clunky noises from the front suspension upon impact, which may negatively affect the suspension and ride quality over time.

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

Vanderhall Carmel by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2023100—
2022200—
2021100—
2020Viewing300—

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.