Swift recall due to screw problems in the front lockers.

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Feb 26, 2020
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I had the bulkhead separation 2 years ago ,and just out of warranty and thinking it was a one off I decided to repair it myself.I jacked up the van, it’s a 2015 Sterling Eccles Sport 584,and had to remove a heavily mastic covered panel to access the screws and the alloy angle,I noticed on my mates 2018 Swift Challenger it doesn’t have these panels so you can access the screws easily. However, on my van the screws had all broken and left large holes.After new holes and screws it failed again,so I turned to large rivets and up to now they seem to be working.Having not checked the offside I ripped the stuck panel off today and well you’ve guessed it the screws were either slack or broken,so it seems it is not only a 2017 problem on recall but going further back.
 
May 19, 2021
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Hi has anyone had the issues resolved and what did swift actually do to repair it. My van (2017 Sprite Major 6 td) has sat on my drive since March 2020 awaiting a swift engineer. I'm in Ireland. They are telling me now that they won't be sending and engineer from the UK and have asked cookstown caravans in Northern Ireland to check and repair. I spoke to cookstown caravan and they have said that they are not will to take on the work. So now I'm in limbo with a caravan I paid £20000 for that I haven't been able to use since summer 2019. I have tried replacing screws, even used stitching screws and they've all come loose after only test towing it 10 miles.
 
Jun 20, 2005
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Did you purchase new in NI or Eire?
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers the U.K. , including NI.
Two years on ,unresolved , is unacceptable. Swift publicly admit there is a problem. If they have chosen to sell their products via dealers in NI then I see no legal reason why they should not , at their own expense repatriate, repair and redeliver the caravan back to your home. Who have you spoken to or written to at Swift.
I can understand the Dealer being unable to deal with the rebuild. Maybe one of the other NI Swift dealers can help. This is something Swift need to pressed hard on!
 
May 19, 2021
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Did you purchase new in NI or Eire?
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers the U.K. , including NI.
Two years on ,unresolved , is unacceptable. Swift publicly admit there is a problem. If they have chosen to sell their products via dealers in NI then I see no legal reason why they should not , at their own expense repatriate, repair and redeliver the caravan back to your home. Who have you spoken to or written to at Swift.
I can understand the Dealer being unable to deal with the rebuild. Maybe one of the other NI Swift dealers can help. This is something Swift need to pressed hard on!
I bought in the UK, the caravan was a year old at the time. They've been promising that an engineer would be coming from the UK to assess and possiblily repair on site(I've had 7 different dates for engineer visits but the always cancelled a few days beforehand)
They are now saying that they can't send an engineer from the UK due to travel restrictions which I think is bull, as far as I'm aware it is possible to travel for work.
They said the only dealer qualified to do it is cookstown caravans. But that cookstown are reluctant to take on the work as they're are a lot of caravans in Ireland involved
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Hi has anyone had the issues resolved and what did swift actually do to repair it. My van (2017 Sprite Major 6 td) has sat on my drive since March 2020 awaiting a swift engineer. I'm in Ireland. They are telling me now that they won't be sending and engineer from the UK and have asked cookstown caravans in Northern Ireland to check and repair. I spoke to cookstown caravan and they have said that they are not will to take on the work. So now I'm in limbo with a caravan I paid £20000 for that I haven't been able to use since summer 2019. I have tried replacing screws, even used stitching screws and they've all come loose after only test towing it 10 miles.
As Dusty has mentioned, you are still covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 as it is an inherent fault and the responsibility of the supplier or selling dealership to rectify at their cost.
 
Jun 20, 2005
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Thanks Sbehan,

NI is a major part of the U.K.,
I agree with Buckman. Thinking aloud as you purchased from a U.K. dealer you should also tell them they are not off the hook. They sold you a caravan with an inherent defect which I believe makes them liable to refund or repair. At the very least they should intervene and start kicking Swift for action. Do you have a Legal Expenses section on your caravan insurance policy? If so ask them to take up the banner on your behalf. I am sure you will soon see more advice from others on here soon.
 
Jul 20, 2025
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My friend has this problem on a 2019 Swift model, bought second hand privately but serviced regularly, some of his paperwork is missing, due to theft of his car with paperwork in shortly after the purchase. No screws in bulkhead has to be recovered home by Greenflag
He has been in touch with Swift sent photos etc they have said they are not willing to repair.
He is not the sort to make a fuss and will accept their decision, personally I would take Swift on.
Has anyone got any suggestions or advice please?
 
Sep 4, 2011
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The problem lies with the previous owner who sold it without getting it rectified by Swift. And proof that it had been serviced annually by Dealer or AWS Engineer. If it has been serviced professionally the records should of been entered on the Swift system, If the owner says they did it themselves then there will be no record only their word,which may not be true, which Swift will not accept.
 
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Jul 20, 2025
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The problem lies with the previous owner who sold it without getting it rectified by Swift. And proof that it had been serviced annually by Dealer or AWS Engineer. If it has been serviced professionally the records should of been entered on the Swift system, If the owner says they did it themselves then there will be no record only their word,which may not be true, which Swift will not accept.
This year of caravan was not on the recall list as it was purchased as a ‘2019’ model The previous owner has dementia and his wife does not know any details. I expect she would know which dealer they used so that may be a way forward.
 
Sep 4, 2011
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If Swift have declined then this presumably shows they have no records of annual service. The Dealer who sold it originally is they only one with any obligation for bodywork up to 6 years old, if it has full service record. If they have serviced it every year from new then you may have a chance of them fixing it. Otherwise may have to get it fixed privately at cost.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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If Swift have declined then this presumably shows they have no records of annual service. The Dealer who sold it originally is they only one with any obligation for bodywork up to 6 years old, if it has full service record. If they have serviced it every year from new then you may have a chance of them fixing it. Otherwise may have to get it fixed privately at cost.
This would be the case if the the present owner had purchased the caravan from the dealer, Under the Consumer Rights Act, (CRA) the Dealers' obligation is to the retail contract they shared with the original new purchaser. If purchaser sells the goods privately, the CRA contract expires, and the dealer has no contractual obligation to the most recent purchaser.

This is entirely separate to any obligations created by the Manufacturer's Warranty's or guarantees. As the name implies its a contract between the manufacture (Not the dealer) and the original purchaser. What is often misunderstood, is that there is no legal requirement for the manufacturer to offer a manufacturers warranty, as such there are no statutory regulations that cover these warrantee's, which allows the manufacturer to control the limitations of these policies. Most UK caravan manufacturers have chosen to offer these warranties, but they are are usually contingent on the caravan owner having the caravan "serviced" and "Inspected" by "approved workshops" in accordance with a set time table based on the date of original ownership. Failure to comply can result in the manufacturer's warranty being declared null and void.

Fortunately most caravan manufacturers will allow any unexpired manufacturer's warranty to be passed on to a new owner when a caravan is sold - even privately, but it is usually contingent of there being a full uninterrupted record of approved service and inspections. How that evidence is collected, has and is changing. Electronic records ae becoming more common. Approved workshops should have the means to update the records online.

With a broken record of service and inspections', its very unlikely the manufacturer would entertain any claim for manufacturers warranty work whether it's from the original or a second user.

The only other route I can think of is to consider if your friend wanted to take a small claims court action against the private seller, on the basis of selling faulty goods - but that would be a difficult course to prove. You would need to be able to show the seller was aware of the defect and deliberately chose to hide the knowledge or evidence. I this route is chose it would be best to seek professional legal advice.

I'm sorry AnnP but suspect your friend is on their own on this instance.

Your friend should contact an member of the Approved WorkShop Scheme to find a qualified repairer who can quote or advise about how to get the caravan repaired.
 
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