IllustrationWHILE DRIVING, A NYLON RACHET STRAP BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE TRAILER AND STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE.*JB (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT#10-90-422)
1997 Fontaine Trailer
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Trailer years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 0 of 2 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Equipment. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
Equipment complaints
1 reportsOfficial recalls
198V159000 · Trailer Hitches
Jul 15, 1998
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 & remedy
Consequence: IF A TRAILER SEPARATES FROM THE TOWING VEHICLE, A CRASH OR PROPERTY DAMAGE COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE KING PINS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.