2020 Champion Bus Challenger problems

Filed Jul 23, 2023 · Suspension, Transmission · AK

My 2.5 year old, 2020, 7 x 14' Cargo Mate Tandem cargo trailer is not a great product nor even good product. It is a faulty product with a major manufacturing flaws. This unit was not manufactured square and should have never been sold like this and should not been put on road. The axles are not square and is wearing out the left rear tire before the others. The inside edge has worn out (see photo evidence) and has already needed replacement. A real tell tale sign of this is the screws that are supposed to hold the floor boards down do NOT screw into the frame as it is supposed to because the frame does NOT line up (see photo evidence). A badly worn, misaligned trailer tire/axle can suddenly blow out causing a major accident and injury or death. In addition, it is not a quality product as I doubt that the frame has been powder coated nor uncoated as it is rusting worse than a 20 year old unit. A badly rusted frame can cause the axles to seperate and cause a major accident.

Filed Jun 26, 2023 · Brakes, Steering · UT

Ford Recall 22S08 Hydro boost line leaks. The Paratransit bus division of Utah Transit Authority is experiencing power steering/brake line failures that I feel should be connected to Ford Recall 22S08. We received the Ford recall around August of 2022 and worked with Performance Ford of Bountiful, Utah to check our bus fleet. They checked the torque value on a power steering line fitting and cleared the recalls from our affected buses. One week later we had a power steering line disconnect with the very same fitting that was addressed in the Ford recall. I called the dealership and was told that nothing can be done and that they would have to charge us to make the repair. I checked the federal safety agency website and found Reference No. 11485151 that references the federal safety agency Safety Recall Campaign No. 2V-089. This is the exact failure we are continuing to have with the 2021 Ford E450's in our bus fleet. I then called the Ford Customer Satisfaction hot line. I addressed the issue with the Ford Representative and was told that they would look into it and be contacted very shortly. Ten minutes later the same local dealership called me and said that they would have Ford tow the van to their shop and fix it under warranty. Fast forward to now. We are still having buses with power steering lines randomly fail and we are now outside of the 3 year 36k mile Ford warranty. I feel that this is not a customer pay problem since I truly believe there is a design failure associated with that power steering line that allows the line to blow out of the fitting which leads to a major loss of fluid. Below is the vin for the bus we currently have down for this issue that we have been denied warranty for. VIN# [XXX] I don't think Ford Recall 22S08 is going far enough to correct this issue we continue to have. Thank you! [XXX] Acting Manager of Vehicle Performance & Maintenance Utah Transit Authority [XXX] Office [XXX] Cell [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).