2016 NEWMAR VENTANA Complaints

Driving west on Interstate 80 in Iowa heading to South Dakota, when smoke started to appear in rear of motor home outside . Pulled over to find that diesel fuel was spraying all over the motor, very fortunate that it did not catch on fire. It is a Cummins 8.9 diesel motor # 73844606 . Had it towed to a licensed repair shop and the mechanic found that the # 1 fuel injector line had a hair line crack causing the fuel leak. Contacted Cummins on this issue and they said there is no recall on this problem , because there is not enough engines having this problem. I found on a RV Forum that this issue has happened to other RV owners. The forum also stated that there are other injector lines on Cummins diesel motors that have failed. The new injector part has a bracket on it to stabilize it to the motor, so they do know about this issue. I am not sure why these injector lines are not being recalled by Cummins, this is a Safety issue that can effect property and life . The repair shop is JRS car and truck repair PO Box 193 3500 freedom st Suite B West Liberty IA 52776 phone # 319-627-4731

The SCR/DPF/DEF emissions control system is faulty and results in the vehicle becoming undrivable at unpredictable instances when no actual fault or deficiency exists. This may result in the driver becoming stranded in area with no cell phone signal and during times of harsh weather. It may also leave motorists stranded in unsafe locations with insufficient room to park safely and no capability to move to a safe location. This is a result of the system “de-rating” due to faulty sensors or DEF delivery systems or a variety of other causes. Because the system will derate the engine when the sensors indicate a low DEF condition when the DEF tank is sufficiently full, it is impossible for the motorists to predict these failures and subsequent strandings. It is also worthy of note that in the case of diesel motorhomes, these are not professional drivers, they are often older, and their vehicles serve as a conveyance of both their personal possessions and valuables.Further the operative word is in many cases “homes” and these motorists often have no other place to go to seek shelter. It is therefore both unsafe and unethical to force such severe restrictions on the owners of diesel motorhomes. This segment of the diesel vehicle driving population is entirely different from the light truck, SUV, bus, and big rig driving populations for the reasons stated above and as such the derating function of the emission control system must be disabled in motorhomes until the engineering and programming of these systems evolves to the point of reasonable reliability and predictability -conditions which currently clearly do not exist. In my case I have had four instances in less than two months disabling the vehicle when no actual fault exists, after the DEF header has been replaced twice and the vehicle is still unreliable. This is an ongoing unsafe condition.

On Jan 2, 2021, I filed NHTSA complaint #11386115. To date I have heard nothing other than an acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint. I would like to point out that this problem is on-going, increasing in severity and number of occurrences, and can easily be considered a life safety issue. As I’m sure you are aware, vehicles conveying human beings are becoming randomly and unpredictability stranded due to faulty sensors on otherwise properly functioning emission systems. This problem is easily resolvable with a simple policy modification, but because it involves emissions, and by extension theoretically the environment (although in this case this is not accurate), there is no apparent willingness to address the problem. While I’m sure you have had many complaints, you are probably hearing from a very small percentage of the people actually affected by this issue. However a simple google search will literally reveal many thousands of instances of people becoming stranded and finding themselves unable to acquire the parts necessary to effect repairs due shortages resulting from the enormity of this issue. While a solution at the policy level may be an unpopular concept I would like to direct your attention to this forum https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/def-sensors-complaint-filed-with-nhtsa-518276-6.html#post5824588, and specifically this excerpt from the most recent post: “....a simple firmware update would work. It’s just a matter of willingness. Maybe a few folks have to die as a result of a derate first.“ I hope that this complaint is elevated to the decision maker level and that it is taken seriously. At this point your organization is on notice that a life safety issue exists with no apparent effort or willingness to address the problem. If nothing is done to correct the problem, your organization will by omission, be responsible for any tragedy resulting from the issue. Thank you for your consideration.

I HAD BEEN DRIVING THE MOTORHOME FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS, SINCE I STARTED TRAVELING THAT DAY. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH STRAIGHT DOWN THE HIGHWAY, WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE ENGINE TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN, THEN IN ABOUT 1 TO 2 SECONDS THE DASH SYSTEM ICON LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AS IF THE ENGINE HAD JUST BEEN STARTED. THE DASH SYSTEM ICON LIGHTS THEN WENT OFF AND THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AGAIN.