A loose roll pin can let 24,656 Roadmaster tow bars release the car behind an RV

Roadmaster has recalled 24,656 motorhome tow bars after finding that a small steel pin inside the stinger can work itself loose. The recall spans the Blackhawk, Falcon, Sterling, Nighthawk and Liberty lines, and the worst outcome is a towed car breaking away from the RV that is pulling it.

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Owners are being told to inspect a small pin by eye, and in most cases the fix is a security band that holds it in place.

A roll pin that backs out

NHTSA’s open-data recall listing records the filing as equipment campaign 26E069000, received October 2, 2026. In the agency’s recall dataset it appears as a tow bar that may separate from the hitch receiver, covering 24,656 units. The stated defect is that the roll pin securing the T-bolt to the stinger may loosen. The consequence: a separated tow bar can result in the towed vehicle detaching.

Roadmaster’s report to NHTSA fills in the mechanics. The stinger is the part of the bar that slides into the motorhome’s hitch receiver, and the T-bolt portion of that assembly is held by the roll pin. Rotational friction on the T-bolt can push the pin out of its retaining hole, and once the pin backs out, the connecting parts can separate. The manufacturer estimates that every one of the 24,656 bars has the defect, although in most of them the pin has not yet moved.

Production dates run from February 16, 2022 to September 23, 2026, depending on model, and the company put a revised T-bolt design into production on September 24, 2026. That design drops the roll pin entirely in favor of a double lock nut and permanent thread locker, which is the same hardware offered to owners whose pins have already moved. Bars built after that date are therefore the only ones that never carried the original arrangement.

Seven product lines, seven different counts

The recalled bars are not one product, and the filing counts each line separately. The Nighthawk is the largest group by far, at 10,962 units under part numbers 676 and 677. The Falcon family follows with three versions: 2,880 Falcon 2 bars, 3,965 Falcon All Terrain bars and 1,976 Falcon 3HD bars. Sterling accounts for 2,733, the Blackhawk All Terrain for 2,095, and the Liberty for just 45.

The Nighthawk was already in the news. Camper Report, writing in August 2026, described a Nighthawk-only notice that gave serial numbers 15000 through 20843 and told owners to check whether the T-bolt assembly has one or two roll-pin holes. The October filing is far broader: it takes in seven product lines that share the roll-pin design, not just the one model, and carries the total past 24,000.

Interim steps before the dealer visit

Roadmaster’s own recall notice gives owners an inspection routine to follow in the meantime. Only motorhome-mounted tow bars with a roll-pin hole in the T-bolt assembly are subject to the recall, and bars with the same model name may not have the pin, so each one needs checking. The notice says the pin usually migrates gradually over thousands of towing miles and that the condition can be found by eye.

If the pin is fully seated and the stinger has no play, the notice allows continued use until new hardware is installed, with a check of the pin and stinger before each day of travel. If the pin is missing, not fully seated or sits more than one-sixteenth of an inch above the hole, the instruction is to stop towing immediately and email the company with photographs. An earlier Nighthawk notice, quoted by Camper Report, was stricter: Roadmaster said not to tow a vehicle with an affected Nighthawk bar “until the condition has been corrected.”

Roadmaster’s notice also describes how light the repair is meant to be. The company says it will ship replacement hardware at no cost, with installation instructions, that the work takes about five to ten minutes with common tools, and that it will reimburse reasonable installation fees up to $40 for owners who need a repair center, on presentation of a paid invoice or receipt. It also asks for contact even from people who have inspected the bar and found nothing wrong, or who no longer own it, so its records stay current.

The federal remedy is set out in the manufacturer’s filing. Dealers will install a security band that anchors the roll pin in place, which suits most bars because the pin has not migrated. Where the pin has already moved, the T-bolt assembly is replaced with a redesigned version that uses a double lock nut and permanent thread locker and has no roll pin at all. Both repairs are free. NHTSA’s October 7 letter to Roadmaster expects owner letters in October 2026, and the report sets the phased mailing from October 5 through December 31, starting with email.

NHTSA’s letter lists two open items for Roadmaster: an amended report identifying purchasers and one supplying a reimbursement plan. Roadmaster’s customer service line is 1-800-669-9690, and its recall number is 910-RPR.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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