⌘K
Federal filingsHome›Recalls› 17V162000
NHTSA campaign 17V162000

2014–2016 Thor Motor and Thor Motor Coach: visibility recall

Failure of the windshield wipers may impair the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

moderate 8,617 vehicles affected 27% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
Problem Thor Motor Coach (TMC) is recalling certain 2014-2015 ACE, Hurricane, Challenger, Daybreak, Miramar, Outlaw, and Windsport motorhomes. These vehicles have windshield wiper systems that may have been improperly installed and secured, possibly causing the wipers to fail during use. Risk Failure of the windshield wipers may impair the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix TMC has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the wiper arm securing nuts, free of charge. The recall began on May 5, 2017. Owners may contact TMC customer service at 1-877-855-2867.

Reported to NHTSA Mar 13, 2017 by Thor Motor Coach, owners notified May 5, 2017.

What that means, in plain English

Source: WhichTrim's reading of the filing above — not NHTSA's wording

Improperly secured wiper arms may cause wiper failure, degrading visibility but not directly causing a crash or removing vehicle control; the fix is a simple inspection and tightening of nuts.

Written for us by a language model from the manufacturer's filed text, which is quoted in full above. Where the two differ, the filing is the record and this is only our summary of it.

The fix, from the dealer bulletin

Source: NHTSA remedy instructions and dealer notice
Stop-sale Not stated in the dealer documents
Remedy Instructions filed: the dealer bulletin exists

Torque

  • Tighten it to 12-14 nm of torque (approximately 8.85-10.32 ft-lbs)

Read from NHTSA’s copy of the manufacturer’s dealer documents. The procedure itself is in the bulletin; a franchised dealer has the current copy on the manufacturer’s portal, and that copy governs. Working a lot or a fleet? Recall Watch carries this line on every VIN it checks: remedy status, hours, stop-sale.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 17V162000

Vehicles built Dec 12, 2012 to Mar 10, 2015 — a VIN outside that window is not part of this campaign even if the year, make and model match.

Model yearOn WhichTrim
2016 Thor Motor Hurricane—
2016 Thor Motor Miramar—
2016 Thor Motor Outlaw—
2014 Thor Motor Coach ACE—
2015 Thor Motor Coach ACE—
2016 Thor Motor Coach ACE—
2014 Thor Motor Coach Challenger—
2015 Thor Motor Coach Challenger—
2016 Thor Motor Coach Challenger—
2014 Thor Motor Coach Daybreak—
2015 Thor Motor Coach Daybreak—
2016 Thor Motor Coach Daybreak—
2014 Thor Motor Coach Hurricane—
2015 Thor Motor Coach Hurricane—
2014 Thor Motor Coach Miramar—
2015 Thor Motor Coach Miramar—
2014 Thor Motor Coach Outlaw—
2015 Thor Motor Coach Outlaw—
2014 Thor Motor Coach Windsport—
2015 Thor Motor Coach Windsport—
2016 Thor Motor Coach Windsport—

None of the vehicles this campaign names has a page on WhichTrim: the catalogue covers the cars, trucks and SUVs the EPA certifies from 2016 on, and these vehicles fall outside it — older model years, or motorhomes, trailers, buses, motorcycles and chassis cabs the EPA does not rate. The campaign record above is complete as filed, and whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by its VIN. Other campaigns on vehicles without a page here →

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired 27%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. Type the VIN and the WhichTrim recall report checks this campaign’s build window and engine against it.

Campaign 17V162000

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

Advertisement

A recall covers a build range. Only your VIN settles it.

Check it with the WhichTrim recall report now, or have us check it every night and email you when something new is filed.

Photo: Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. This campaign covers vehicles built Dec 12, 2012 to Mar 10, 2015. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.