Vehicle recall 98V159000 · July 15, 1998
1997-1998 Fontaine Trailer
Vehicle description: platform trailers equipped with king pins marked with cha, chn, & chp and supplied to fontaine by tefaco.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: platform trailers equipped with king pins marked with cha, chn, & chp and supplied to fontaine by tefaco. The king pin separates as soon as the trailer is applied, allowing the trailer to separate from the tow vehicle.
- Consequence
- If a trailer separates from the towing vehicle, a crash or property damage could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the defective king pins.
- Notes
- Owner notification began during July 1998.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact fontaine trailer at 1-800-821-6535, or tefaco at 1-732-651-7166. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 98V159000
- Reported to NHTSA
- July 15, 1998
- Filed by
- FONTAINE TRAILER
- Owner notification
- July 22, 1998
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 50
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Trailer hitches
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Fontaine Trailer (1997-1998): 1998, 1997
Has your Fontaine been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A Fontaine dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.