Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016 StarCraft Quest school buses built on Ford Transit chassis. In the affected vehicles, the flexible coupling connecting the transmission to the driveshaft may prematurely fail.
If the coupling fails, the vehicle will not be able to move under its own power and the disconnected driveshaft may impact and damage the brake and fuel lines. Additionally, the separated driveshaft may allow the vehicle to roll if the vehicle is exited when the transmission is in 'Park' but the parking brake is not applied. These scenarios may increase the risk of a crash.
Forest River will notify owners, and as an interim repair, Ford dealers will replace the flexible coupling on any vehicle with more than 30,000 miles. A final remedy repair of a redesigned flexible coupling or a revised driveshaft equipped with a universal joint is being developed and is expected in early 2018. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673 or Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440. Forest River's number for this recall is 5-07142017-0481.
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.