Complaint 703671

Complaint Summary

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Owner Narrative

NOVEMBER OF 2008, I WAS DRIVING THROUGH LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA WHEN MY FRONT BRAKES ON MY 2002 PACE ARROW MOTOR HOME STARTED TO HEAT UP AND SMOKE. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THE BRAKES RED HOT AT THE STEER AXLE. WHILE DOING A INTERNET SEARCH FOR PARTS,I FOUND A RV BLOG SITE WITH OVER 80 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE W22 WORKHORSE CHASSIS WHICH I HAVE. I ALSO LEARNED ABOUT A RECALL BY WORKHORSE. AFTER CALLING WORKHORSE THEY TOLD ME THE UPDATE HAD BEEN DONE BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER AT 12,000 MI. IT NOW HAS 17,000 MI. AND I SEE THE UPDATE DIDN'T WORK. I HAVE REPLACED THE WHEEL SEALS, OIL HUB CAPS, AND REBUILT THE CALIPERS ON BOTH STEER AXLES. JUDGING BY THE BLOGS THERE ARE A LOT OF ANGRY W22 WORKHORSE CHASSIS OWNERS NOT GETTING MUCH RESULTS FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE RESOLVED BEFORE PEOPLE GET INJURED OR KILLED. THE REPAIRS DONE SEEM TO BE A TEMPORARY FIX AS BEST AS MANY OWNERS HAVE HAD MULTIPLE BRAKE FAILURES. THE COST TO ME WAS ABOUT $400.00. I DO HAVE THE SOME OF THE OLD PARTS. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SENSORS MELTED ALSO. I FEAR GOING BACK OUT ON THE ROAD THAT YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE NEXT FAILURE WILL BE OR WHAT THE RESULTS WILL BE. I WAS LUCKY TO BE IN SLOW TRAFFIC , BUT WHAT ABOUT NEXT TIME? THANK YOU. *TR

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.