51-1206 – Front Seat Wiring Harnesses Routed Incorrectly – 2020-2021 Forest River Forester, Sunseeker, Dynamax Isata & Coachmen Galleria & Prism Motorhomes

August 14, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V477000

Front Seat Wiring Harnesses Routed Incorrectly

If the wiring harness is damaged, the side air bag within the seat may deploy inadvertently or not deploy as designed in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V477

Manufacturer Forest River, Inc.

Components ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS, SEATS

Potential Number of Units Affected 367

 

Summary

Forest River, Inc. (Forest) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Forest River Forester, Sunseeker, Dynamax Isata and Coachmen Galleria and Prism motorhomes built on Sprinter Van chassis equipped with swivel seats. The wiring harnesses for the front seats may have been routed incorrectly and could become jammed and damaged in the swivel seat frames.

 

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and Sprinter dealers will inspect the wire harness routing for both front seats and will repair the wiring and add clips or cable ties as needed, free of charge. This recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Daimler Vans customer service at 1-877-762-8267. Daimler Vans number for their recall is VS3DREHSIK. Forest’s number for this recall is 51-1206.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

NHTSA RECALL: 20V477
CANADA RECALL: 2020-375
FR ID: 51-1206

<<VIN>>
<<OWNER NAME/DEALERNAME>>
<<ADDRESS>>
<<CITY>>, <<ST>> <<ZIP-XXX>>

 

08/25/2020

 

This Notice applies to your vehicle VIN listed above.

 

Dear Forest River Customer:

 

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This notice is also sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Forest River – Office of Corporate Compliance (“OCC”) has decided that a defect, which relates to the motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 20202021 Coachmen Prism and Galleria as well as Forest River Forester, Sunseeker, and Isata motorhome recreational vehicles This is to inform you that your vehicle may contain a defect that could affect the safety of a person.

 

WHAT IS THE DEFECT/NONCOMPLIANCE? 

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Spinter vans (platform 970 (VS30)), equipped with swivel seats. The wiring harnesses for the front seats may have been routed incorrectly and could become jammed and damaged in the swivel seat frames.

 

EVALUATION OF THE RISK TO THE VEHICLE AND OPERATOR(S) RELATED TO THE RECALL.

If electric cables in the wiring harness become jammed and damaged in the swivel-seat frame, the operation of the side airbag within the seat could be adversely affected which could cause the side airbag to deploy inadvertently or not deploy as designed in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. If electric cables in the wiring harness become jammed and damaged in the swivel-seat frame, the operation of the side airbag within the seat could be adversely affected which could cause the side airbag to deploy inadvertently or not deploy as designed in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

 

WHAT IS DAIMLER VANS USA, LLC (DVUSA) GOING TO DO?

An authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer will inspect the wire harness routing for both front seats and will repair the wiring and add clips or cable ties as needed, free of charge. An authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer will inspect the installation of the seat wiring harness (left/right) of the front seats and will add clips or cable ties, as needed, to ensure that the course routing is according to specification.

What is the DVUSA Customer Service Phone Number? Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-7628267. DVUSA’s number for this recall is VS3DREHSIK.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Please contact your dealer immediately and request a service appointment to schedule the free remedy.  The vehicle Owner is responsible for arranging to have the work completed.  Please state you have been notified by Forest River of having a recall in process for your vehicle and provide the recall number for the dealership.  It is also helpful to the dealership to have a copy of this letter when you take your vehicle in for the recall remedy.

 

WHAT IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR REPAIRS TO YOUR VEHICLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR CONDITION?

If you have already paid for a repair that is within the scope of this defect under recall, you still need to have this recall inspected and/or performed to ensure the correct parts and procedures were utilized.

 

Additionally, you may be eligible for a refund of previously paid repairs. Refunds will only be provided for within the scope of this defect under recall.

Please send the service invoice to the following address:

Daimler Vans USA, LLC
One Mercedes-Benz Drive
Sandy Springs GA 30328

 

What if you no longer own this vehicle?

If you no longer own this vehicle and have the address for the current owner, please forward this letter to the new owner within 10 working days after the day in which the notice is received. You have received this letter because government regulations require that a notification is sent to the last known owner of record. Our records indicate that you are the current owner.

 

PLEASE NOTE: FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES THAT ANY VEHICLE LESSOR RECEIVING THIS RECALL NOTICE MUST FORWARD A COPY OF THIS NOTICE TO THE LESSEE WITHIN TEN DAYS.

 

MAY DAIMLER VANS USA, LLC (DVUSA) ASSIST YOU FURTHER?

If you have difficulties getting your vehicle repaired, please contact your Forest River Representative listed below:

 

CONTACT	PHONE
Daimler Vans USA, LLC	1-877-762-8267

 

If you are still having difficulty getting your vehicle/towable repaired in a reasonable amount of time or without change, you may write to the following address:

For US Owners Please Contact:	For Canadian Owners Please Contact:
Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590	Head of Recalls Motor Vehicle Safety Investigations Laboratory Transport Canada 80 Noël street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8Z 0A1
Or you may call the toll free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or (TTY: 1-800-424-9153).	Telephone (800) 333-0510 Facsimile (819) 420-4292
Or visit www.safercar.gov and search; Recall ID: 20V477	Recall ID: 2020-375

 

Sincerely,

Forest River, Inc.
Office Manager
Office of Corporate Compliance

 

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Chronology of Defect (too many characters for the recall portal comment box)

 

Chronology:

 

In March 2019, a production plant in Germany identified that the front seat wiring harness on an individual vehicle was not secured in place as expected.

 

A first technical evaluation in March 2019 did not identify the risk of pinching damage to the wiring harness and, therefore, impact to the SRS system was not identified at that time.

 

After investigation, additional clips and route guiding were introduced into the production plants in June/July, 2019.

 

An additional improvement was made in October 2019, to introduce an extended wiring harness that could provide additional flexibility in the cable to move along with the seat.  Moreover, additional instructions for the correct mounting of the wiring harness were provided for production.

 

Further investigation revealed that Mercedes-Benz had received about 33 field inputs with regard to the front seats and/or the electrical system, including some from the United States market.  Field reports were received starting in the second half of 2019 and were generally received early in the life of the vehicles (3-6 months).

 

Mercedes-Benz continued to investigate under what circumstances the SRS indicator lamps could illuminate and the potential consequences for vehicles equipped with front swivel seats.  This included consideration of the potential impact on multiple functions, including impact on driver assistance systems, occupant sensing systems, seat belt reminders, side airbags and electrical seat adjustment or heating.  The cable routing system requires a complex balance of ensuring flexibility to allow seat movement and effecting the security of the wire harness system itself.

 

Investigations were also focusing on potential consequences from certain lines of the complex wiring harness becoming pinched individually or in combination at the same time.

 

MBAG’s investigation continued into 2020.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plants were shut down and many employees were furloughed during the spring of 2020.  Nonetheless, MBAG was able to isolate the cause of the electric failures in the field. This included the cases where illumination of the SRS indicator lamp occurred due to a disruption in the signals to the side airbag, which could lead to the side airbag either deploying inadvertently or not deploying as required. MBAG is unaware of any such incidents having occurred either in the US or elsewhere.

 

On May 27, 2020, MBAG determined that a safety risk could not be ruled out and decided to initiate a recall campaign.

 

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10 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
COACHMEN	GALLERIA	2020-2021
COACHMEN	PRISM	2020-2021
DYNAMAX	ISATA	2020-2021
FOREST RIVER	FORESTER	2020-2021
FOREST RIVER	SUNSEEKER	2020-2021

 

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7 Associated Documents

Recall 573 Report – Amendment 1

RCLRPT-20V477-5748.PDF 219.183KB

 

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Defect Notice Recall 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V477-1227.PDF 219.019KB

 

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Miscellaneous Document – Daimler Vans Chronology

RMISC-20V477-7220.pdf 598.534KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20V477-6956.pdf 356.955KB

 

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Recall 573 Report – Amendment 2

RCLRPT-20V477-9509.PDF 219.405KB

 

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ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-20V477-2664.pdf 212.753KB

 

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-20V477-7597.pdf 212.753KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=20V477&docType=RCL

 

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Last update on 2025-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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