NEWMAR Complaints

DT: 2000 NEWMAR DUTCH STAR MOTOR HOME. THE CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN TIRES, 255/80R22-5XRV. THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE SIDEWALL AT 15,000 MILES. THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR INSIDE TIRE BLEW OUT AT 23,800 MILES. THE FRONT TIRES WERE RECALLED AND THEY WERE REPLACED. THE REAR TIRE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. THE REAR TIRE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED TO SEE WHY IT BLEW OUT. *AK

DT THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NEWMAR SCOTTSDALE. THE MOTOR HOME IS ON A WORKHORSE CHASSIS, AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS SUPPLIED WITH A WORKHORSE CHASSIS , UNDER THE SPEEDOMETER THERE IS A LED DISPLAY PANEL WHICH IT TELLS THE CONTACT WHAT GEAR HE IN AS WELL AS OTHER DATA. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS DISPLAY IS THAT IT IS VERY DIM, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE IS IN AS WELL AS THE OTHER DATA THAT IT DISPLAYS. THE CONTACT KNOWS OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF COMPLAINT. HE WENT AND LOOKED AT A BRAND NEW 2005 MOTOR HOME AND HE TURNED THE LEVER THAT LED DISPLAY ON AND THAT ONE WAS DIM AS WELL. ALSO CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY WHERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND THEY WHERE REQUESTING NEW INSTRUMENT PANELS FROM WORKHORSE. THE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT SOME OF THE INSTRUMENT PANELS WERE SO BAD THAT ONE COULD NOT READ THEM AT ALL. THE CONTACT DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THE NEW ONES WERE ANY BETTER. THE CONTACT HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE EVER SINCE HE PURCHASED IT ON AUGUST 9, 2004.*AK

THERE WAS NO FAILURE AT THIS POINT HOWEVER THE AUXILIARY GAS TANK ON THE NEWMAR CORP. RV WHICH IS FOR THE GENERATOR IS NOT DOT COMPLIANT. THEY HAVE BEEN TOLD OF THIS BUT SAID THAT IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE. IS THIS THE CASE? *JB

DT: CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL FOR THE FRONT TIRES. BEFORE RECEIVING THE RECALL CONSUMER ROTATED THE TIRES ,TAKING THE TWO FRONT TIRES OFF AND PUTTING THEM ON THE BACK INNER REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE RECALL LETTER STATED THAT DEALER WOULD ONLY REPLACE THE TWO FRONT TIRES AND THEY DID. BUT THOSE WERE NOT THE ORIGINAL FRONT TIRES, AND BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN ROTATED AND PUT T ON THE BACK, DEALER WOULDN'T REPLACE THEM IN THE RECALL. THERE WERE THREE DIFFERENT TIRE BLOW OUTS. THE FIRST ONE OCCURRED BEFORE THE RECALL. CONSUMER HAD TO FIND THAT SIZE TIRE SO HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY SAID TO PUT THE RECALL SIZE ON THE TIRES. MANUFACTURER REIMBURSE CONSUMER FOR THAT TIRE. THE TIRE WAS LOCATED ORIGINALLY ON THE FRONT, BUT IT WAS ROTATED TO INNER REAR AT THE TIME OF THE BLOW OUT. THE SECOND TIME THE TIRE WAS LOCATED ON THE INNER REAR AND IT WAS ROTATED FROM THE FRONT, BUT IT WAS NOT AN ORIGINAL TIRE. IT HAD BEEN ON THE FRONT ABOUT 1500 MILES AFTER IT GOT ROTATED. THE THIRD TIME THE TIRE HAD BEEN ON THE FRONT AT SOME POINT. ALL TOGETHER 3 OF THE 4 TIRES BLEW OUT. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FRONT TIRES GOT MOVED TO THE INNER REAR, AND IT WAS THE FIRST OF THE THREE BLOW OUTS. THE OTHER ORIGINAL FRONT TIRE WAS USED AS A SPARE TIRE AND IS CURRENTLY LOCATED ON THE INNER REAR.*AK

WHEN CHANGING MY OIL IN THE MOTOR HOME , I WAS LOOKING AT THE COMPONETS OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THAT THE RIGHT SIDE MOTOR MOUNT WAS MISSING ONE BOLT COMPLETELY AND THE OTHER ONE WAS JUST HANGING BY A FEW THREADS. MY FAMILY AND I HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A TRIP TO PENNSLYVANIA , IF THE ENGINE HAD FALLEN WHILE WE WERE ON THE ROAD IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A WRECK. I CONTACTED THE COMPANY (NEWMAR) AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE, THAT WORKHORSE, THE MANUFACTURE OF THE CHASSIS WAS. I CONTACTED WORKHORSE AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM VERY CONCERNED. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER TO HAVE IT FIXED. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD ALREADY FIXED IT MYSELF. I ALSO CALLED THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE MOTOR HOME AND TOLD THEM ABOUT IT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM AND THAT THEY WERE ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COACH PART OF THE MOTOR HOME. I WAS NOT LOOKING FOR A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM, I JUST WANTED THEM TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND TO NOTIFY WHOMEVER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERSIGHT AND HOPEFULLY IT WOULDN'T CAUSE A PROBLEM FOR SOMEONE ELSE. THE PRECEIVED LACK OF CONCERN ON THEIR PART WAS UPSETTING AS IT PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING AT THIS COMPLAINT AND I HOPE YOU CAN CALL TO THE ATTENTION OF WHICHEVER PARTY IS RESPONSIBLE THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF NOT CHECKING ON THE ASSEMBLY QUALITY CONTROL OF THE CHASSIS ON THESE MOTOR HOMES.

I HAVE HAD FOUR SEPARATE BLOW-OUTS ON GOODYEAR WRANGLER HT TIRES. M & S LT 235/86R16. LOAD RANGE E. ALL BLOW-OUTS HAVE BEEN ON HIGHWAY DRIVING. THESE TIRES ARE USED ON MY FIFTH-WHEEL TRAVEL TRAILER. ONE OR TWO BLOW-OUTS COULD BE CONSIDERED BAD LUCK AND PART OF DRIVING. FOUR BLOW-OUTS IN TWO YEARS IS A PATTERN.

RECALL CAMPAIGN 04V084000 CONCERNING WORKHORSE-BOSCH ZOPS BRAKE CALIPERS: AFTER HAVING RECALL REPAIRS PERFORMED, WITHIN 800 MILES OR LESS, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP, AND ALMOST CAUSED A VEHICLE CRASH. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THIS VEHICLE'S RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT PERFORMED. *AK THE FRONT BEARINGS KEPT LOSING FLUIDS. BOTH INNER WHEEL SEALS WERE LEAKING THEREFORE BOTH FRONT INNER AND OUTER SEALS ON THE ROTORS WERE REPLACED. *SC

FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY OR DID NOT OPERATE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHO REPLACED THE WIPER MOTOR, AND THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

MOTORHOME DOES NOT MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS OF FMCSA REGULATION 571.120 STANDARD 120. *MR THE VEHICLE HAD COME EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN TIRES (XZA-1 LRH 275X70X22.5 TIRES). PUBLISHED DATA BY MICHELIN SHOWED THAT THE CONSUMERS TIRES WERE RATED AT 6365 LBS AT 120 PSI. THE CERTIFICATION LABEL SHOWED THAT THE GAWR OF THE FRONT AXLE WAS 13200 LBS. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT HE'S AT RISK OF TIRE FAILURE IF HE LOADED THE VEHICLE TO THE PURCHASE GROSS WEIGHT OF 33,200 AND UNDER INFLATE THE TIRE TO 120 PSI. (NEWMAR WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO A LAGER SIZE TIRE INSTALLATION) *SC *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE TRAILER HITCH BROKE IN HALF WHILE THE TOWING A VEHICLE. THE TRAILER WAS MANUFACTURED WITH A HIDDEN HITCH, SERIAL 64-6100 , FIVE THOUSAND POUND WEIGHT. THE MOTOR HOME WAS DAMAGED AND THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS BEING PULLED.*AK *JB