Recall answer
What if the parts for an RV recall are not available?
When the parts or the instructions are not ready, the letter still has to tell you the risk, any precautions, and the earliest date the manufacturer expects the remedy. A second letter follows once the remedy is available. This page is not legal advice. Read the recall letter for your VIN, and ask the manufacturer named in that letter if you are unsure.
1. The first letter still goes out
49 CFR 577.7 says the manufacturer must send the owner notice no later than 60 days after it files the defect report. If the remedy is not available at the time of that notice, the manufacturer must send a second notice within a reasonable time, under the same part, once the remedy is available. NHTSA can order the notice to go out on a specific date when that is in the public interest. The factors in the rule include the severity of the risk, whether an owner can do something to reduce the chance or the harm, and whether the remedy will be delayed.
49 CFR 577.5 says a repair letter must state the earliest date the defect will be remedied without charge. For a repair, that date is the earliest date the manufacturer reasonably expects dealers or other shops to have the parts and instructions. 49 USC 30119(b) says the date in the notice is the earliest date parts and facilities can reasonably be expected to be available, and that the Secretary of Transportation may disapprove that date.
2. Follow the interim guidance
NHTSA's booklet says there is often a wait while the manufacturer identifies owners, prepares the repair, instructs dealers, ships parts, and mails the letters. The booklet says a dealer is not required to do the repair before the date in the letter. It also says that when the manufacturer needs extended time, NHTSA requires an interim notice so the owner knows about the recall and about any short-term steps that lessen the chance the problem happens.
NHTSA's recalls page says that when you receive a notification, you should follow any interim safety guidance from the manufacturer (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). 49 CFR 577.5 says the letter must state any precautions to take before the repair. Those words are the instruction for that campaign. A model-year page cannot clear the RV for a trip while you wait.
3. What the law says about a long wait
49 USC 30120(c) says that if the Secretary of Transportation determines a manufacturer's remedy program is not likely to be completed within a reasonable time, the Secretary may require the manufacturer to accelerate the program. That order depends on a finding of a risk of serious injury or death if the program is not accelerated, and on a finding that acceleration can reasonably be achieved by expanding the sources of replacement parts, the number of authorized repair facilities, or both.
After the earliest date in the letter has passed, a shop that will not perform the free remedy the letter describes is a different problem. NHTSA's booklet says to notify the manufacturer immediately. You can also file a complaint with NHTSA. The complaint asks NHTSA to review what happened. It does not by itself order a same-day repair.
Where to check
- NHTSA booklet on safety defects and recalls
- NHTSA recalls lookup
- 49 CFR 577.7, second notice when the remedy is available
- 49 CFR 577.5, earliest repair date
- 49 USC 30119, earliest remedy date
- How to check an RV or tow-vehicle VIN for recalls
- Latest recalls
- Recall and issue alerts
- What if a dealer will not do an RV recall repair?
- Is it safe to use or tow an RV with an open recall?
- How long does an RV recall repair take, and which dealer can do it?
- Does my Keystone Montana have a recall?
- Does my Jayco North Point have a recall?
- Keystone recalls
Questions people ask
- What if the recall parts are not available?
- 49 CFR 577.5 says the letter must give the earliest date the manufacturer reasonably expects the parts and instructions to be at the shop (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-577/section-577.5). 49 CFR 577.7 says the manufacturer must send another notice once the remedy is available if it was not ready for the first letter (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-577/section-577.7). Follow the precautions in the letter while you wait.
- What is an interim notice?
- NHTSA's booklet says that when the manufacturer needs extended time to develop a remedy, NHTSA requires an interim notice so you know about the recall and about any short-term steps (https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-09/14218-MVSDefectsandRecalls_092524_v3-tag.pdf). NHTSA's recalls page says to follow any interim safety guidance in the notification (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls).
- Does the dealer have to repair the RV before the date in the letter?
- No. NHTSA's booklet says a dealer is not required to remedy the defect before the date in the letter (https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-09/14218-MVSDefectsandRecalls_092524_v3-tag.pdf). 49 USC 30119(b) says that date is the earliest date parts and facilities can reasonably be expected to be available (https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:49%20section:30119%20edition:prelim)).
- Is this legal advice?
- No. This page explains the notice rules and NHTSA's booklet. It is not legal advice. The letter for your VIN is the instruction for that campaign.
Related answers
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- What if a dealer will not do an RV recall repair?
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