RecallMyCar

2005 Champion Defender Recalls, Complaints & Specs

4 safety recalls list the 2005 Champion Defender. Check your own VIN below.

4
safety recalls
0
owner complaints to NHTSA

4 safety recalls for the 2005 Champion Defender

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Service brakes, hydraulic

    NHTSA 09V313000 Reported 36 vehicles potentially affected CHAMPION BUS, INC.

    Champion bus is recalling 36 model year 2004, 2005, and 2007 defender and model year 2005-2006 m1000 buses built between april 12, 2004 and september 18, 2006. Certain hydraulic brake lines may contact the transmission dipstick tube as the engine rocks.

    Remedy: Daimler trucks is handling the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Please see 09v-114. Daimler trucks will correct the chassis if found to be defective. This service will be performed for you free of…

  2. Equipment adaptive/mobility

    NHTSA 08V490000 Reported 503 vehicles potentially affected CHAMPION BUS, INC.

    Champion bus is recalling 503 my 2005-2007 challenger, crusader, defender, my 2005-2006 corporal, my 2006 cts-re, and my 2007 cts-fe and ic defender transit buses equipped with a ricon platform style wheelchair lift. This lift fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "platform lift systems…

    Remedy: Champion bus is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lift free of charge (please see 07e097). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or champion bus at 1-800-331-5761.

  3. Equipment adaptive/mobility

    NHTSA 08V182000 Reported 503 vehicles potentially affected CHAMPION BUS, INC.

    Champion bus is recalling 503 my 2005-2008 defender, challenger, cts-re, cts-fe and crusader buses equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations in motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not…

    Remedy: Champion bus is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or champion bus at 1-937-596-6849.

  4. Equipment adaptive/mobility

    NHTSA 06V127000 Reported 7 vehicles potentially affected CHAMPION BUS, INC.

    On certain transit buses equipped with ricon s and k series platform style wheelchair lifts, the vertical support arms for the lifts were improperly welded allowing the lift to stow improperly.

    Remedy: Champion is working with ricon to remedy these buses. The two lift arms will be replaced free of charge. Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or champion at 1-810-724-6474.

No owner complaints on file

NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 2005 Champion Defender. For context, the average model year in NHTSA's database has dozens; a zero can mean a reliable vehicle, a rare one, or both.

Compare Champion Defender model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Champion Defender model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1999 Champion Defender10
2000 Champion Defender30
2001 Champion Defender30
2002 Champion Defender20
2003 Champion Defender20
2004 Champion Defender20
2005 Champion Defender40
2006 Champion Defender50
2007 Champion Defender100
2008 Champion Defender110
2009 Champion Defender90
2010 Champion Defender70
2011 Champion Defender30
2012 Champion Defender40
2013 Champion Defender50
2014 Champion Defender60
2015 Champion Defender40
2016 Champion Defender10
2017 Champion Defender20
2018 Champion Defender20
2019 Champion Defender10

Checking a specific 2005 Champion Defender

How do I know if my 2005 Champion Defender has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 4 campaigns currently list the 2005 Champion Defender; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Champion dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 06V127000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Champion models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.