The 1997 Carriage Carri Lite has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,450 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the trailer hitches. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
TRAILER HITCHES02V3120002002-11-191,450 affected
Defect
CERTAIN FIFTH WHEEL TRAILERS MAY HAVE AN INSUFFICIENT FRAME STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE PIN BOX.
Consequence
OVER TIME STRESS CRACKS COULD BEGIN TO OCCUR AT THE FRAME INSERTION POINTS AND FRONT CROSS STRUCTURE SURROUNDING THE PIN BOX (HITCH). THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TRAILER BECOMING PARTIALLY OR FULLY DETACHED FROM THE TOW VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH, PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT KIT TO THE FRAME STRUCTURE SURROUNDING THE PIN BOX. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 30, 2003. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CARRIAGE AT 1-800-895-0108.
Complaints by component
TRAILER HITCHES:FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
1
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
1
EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER
1
SUSPENSION
1
TIRES
1
Total complaints10
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Consumer stated the weld holding the king pin to the hitch cracked. Consumer called the manufacturer, but manufacturer refused to deal with the problem. Consumer felt it was a manufacturer's defect. Consumer had not taken the vehicle to a dealer to be inspected because it had to be repaired before…”
“Consumer stated that the weld holding the king pin to the hitch cracked. Consumer called the manufacturer, but manufacturer refused to dealer with the problem. Consumer felt it was a manufacturer's defect. Consumer had not taken the vehicle to the dealer for inspection because it had to be…”
“Vehicle experienced tire blow out. *mr while driving on the highway the front right tire had blown out. Approximately 19 days later the right side tire had blown out. *scc *jb”
“Consumer stated after 3 or 4 days of use, the refrigerator would leak water onto the kitchen floor, consumer was informed by customer assitance to check and tighten the drain lines, however that did not resolve the problem, consumer was then informed that if the instructions were followed with no…”
“Consumer stated the radio/sleeper alarm would occasionally go off during the night, after several conversations with the dealer, they found the mechanism to be faulty and the manufacturer replaced the radio. *jb”
“Consumer stated she was experiencing a ground fault problem, when plugging into a ground fault circuit, the circuit breaker would be thrown, consumer was informed by manufacturer that they were aware of the problem, however consumer had problem repaired by someone else.*jb”
“Consumer stated the trailer springs recently broke, due to fatigue, also the shocks absorber mounts were loose from not being welded correctly and had broken off, consumer was also informed that the unit axles came off the assembly line overloaded which also related to the shock absorber mounts.*jb”
“Consumer stated the water pump went out in 1997, not long after purchase.*jb”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE02059 Opened 2002-08-01 · closed 2002-11-22
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Carriage Carri Lite as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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