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2017 Champion Defender Recalls, Complaints & Specs

2 safety recalls list the 2017 Champion Defender. Check your own VIN below.

2
safety recalls
0
owner complaints to NHTSA

2 safety recalls for the 2017 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. Seats

    NHTSA 18V798000 Reported 76 vehicles potentially affected Champion Bus, Inc.

    Champion Bus, Inc. (Champion) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Champion Challenger, Defender, LF Transport, Goshen G-Force, and Impulse transit buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat…

    Remedy: Champion will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began December 19, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service at 1-810-724-1753, extension 415 or…

  2. Equipment adaptive/mobility

    NHTSA 18V573000 Reported 219 vehicles potentially affected Champion Bus, Inc.

    Champion Bus (Champion) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Champion American Coach, American Crusader, American S2, Challenger, Crusader, Defender, and Impulse vehicles, equipped with certain S-Series and K-Series Titanium Wheelchair Lifts, models K200, K201, K550, K551, S200, S2201, S550 and S551. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam…

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the injection molded cam with an aluminum machined cam, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Champion customer service 1-810-724-1753 extension 415 or Ricon…

No owner complaints on file

NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 2017 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 2017 Champion Defender

How do I know if my 2017 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. 2 campaigns currently list the 2017 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 18V573000).

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.