WORKHORSE Complaints

APPLIED THE BRAKES WHILE TRAVELING AT 50 MPH. SEVERAL MILES LATER, NOTICED A SMELL AND SAW SMOKE OFF OF THE REAR BRAKES. ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE AND FOUND THE REAR BRAKES HAD LOCKED. THE REAR CALIPERS, BRAKE PADS, AND ABS SENSORS ON BOTH SIDES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (OVER $1,000). SERVICE SHOP INDICATED THAT THE CALIPER PINS WERE PROPERLY LUBED. THE RUBBER GASKETS AROUND THE PISTONS HAD CHARRED AND TEMPERING MARKS WERE NOTED ON THE CALIPERS FROM THE INCIDENT. *TR

2002 BOUNDER WITH CHEVY WORKHORSE CHASSIS BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. *NJ THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE FRONT CALIPER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD SEIZED AND DESTROYED ALL THE PREVIOUS BRAKE WORK THE CONSUMER HAD DONE 56 MILES AGO. THE LEFT FRONT OIL SEAL WAS LEAKING. *JB

COMING HOME ON THE 405 FREEWAY IN LOS ANGLES IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, MY RIGHT FRONT CALIPER APPARENTLY STUCK ON. ABOUT 2 MILES FROM HOME THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND I COULD SMELL THE BRAKES. I WENT ON HOME AND THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS SMOKING. I LET IT COOL. SINCE THEN I HAVE REPLACED THE RIGHT FRONT CALIPER, THE BRAKE LINE AND THE ABS SENSOR. ALL OF THE OTHER CALIPERS APPEAR TO BE OK. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 WORKHORSE CHASSIS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A SMELL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKES BEGAN LOCKING. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HE NOTICED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BRAKES WERE HOT. THE FAILURE HAS RECURRED REPEATEDLY EVER SINCE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT BEING REPAIRED AND THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THERE HAS BEEN NO DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 9,980 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,500.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 WORKHORSE W22. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH IN A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY, THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND COASTED THE REST OF THE WAY TO ITS DESTINATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 40,000. UPDATED 11/07/08 *BF THE FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CALIPERS LOCKED UP AND DAMAGED THE FLEX HOSE AND ABS SENSOR. UPDATED 11/13/08. *JB

WHILE DRIVING MY RV I BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. I PARKED AND FOUND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT VERY HOT AND SMELLED OF BURNING MATERIAL. I NOTICED THE FRONT WHEEL COVERS WERE TOO HOT TO TOUCH. I CALLED THE SELLING DEALER AND WAS ADVISED TO CALL THE CHASSIS MANUFACTURER WHO IN TURN ADVISED TO CALL THE AUTHORIZED WORKHOUSE DEALER IN TOWN WHO THEN ADVISED ME TO CONTACT A TRANSMISSION COMPANY IN NEARBY CORPUS CHRISTI AND NOT DRIVE THE UNIT BUT HAVE IT TOWED. I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAD LOCKED DOWN FOR SOME REASON AND NOT TO DRIVE IT FURTHER. I HAD THE UNIT TOWED. THE TRANSMISSION COMPANY LATER ADVISED NOTHING WAS WRONG BUT THAT SOME LOOSE BATTERY CABLES WERE TIGHTENED. THEN A MONTH LATER WHILE DRIVING MY RV I NOTICED THE UNIT WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT AND I AGAIN FOUND THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL COVER WAS HOT. I CONTACTED THE AUTHORIZED WORKHORSE DEALER IN TOWN AND WAS ADVISED THAT THEY DID NOT DO BRAKE WORK BUT REFERRED ME TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND ASK THAT THE FRONT BRAKES BE DISMANTLED, INSPECTED, CLEANED, AND GREASED. THIS WORK WAS COMPLETED AND NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT HE WAS NOT SURE IF THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED BUT ONLY TIME WOULD TELL. HE DOES NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE REMAINS SOME KIND OF HYDRAULIC PROBLEM WITHIN THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM. IN SUMMARY, TOTAL COST EXPENDED TO DATE AMOUNTS TO $750. AND I AM NOT SURE IF THE UNIT IS SAFE TO DRIVE AS THE PROBLEM MAY RESURFACE, THE UNIT FAIL TO STOP, OR CATCH ON FIRE. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET FINDS A HOST OF COMPLAINTS PINPOINTING THE BRAKES ON A WORKHORSE CHASSIS. THESE COMPLAINTS INCLUDING SOME DIRECTED TO NHTSA APPEAR TO DOCUMENT MY CURRENT PROBLEM. I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST THE MANUFACTURER VIN NUMBERS MAY PINPOINT THE RANGE OF PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION BUT MAY NOT RULE OUT THE MANUFACTURER USING UP INVENTORY OF DEFECTIVE PARTS TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK BEFORE CHANGING TO NEW IMPROVED PARTS. REFERENCE: NHTSA ACTION NO. EA07016, NHTSA COMPLAINT NO.S 10160192, 10209084, 10215202, 10226637, AND 10237100. *TR

I OWN AND OPERATE A MOTOR HOME SALES FACILITY. THIS YEAR I HAVE PURCHASED FOUR 04-05 MODEL UNITS OF DIFFERENT MAKES ON THE WORKHORSE CHASSIS. ON EVERY UNIT I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS SYSTEM. ON A TRIP HOME WITH ONE OF THE UNITS I HAD THE BRAKE PEDAL GO ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BUT WAS ABLE TO STOP. FOR THE NEXT FEW MILES I DROVE VERY SLOW AND KEPT CHECKING MY BRAKES. ALL AT ONCE THE FULL PEDAL CAME BACK AND NEVER GAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEM OTHER THAN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND REQUIRED A NEW SENSOR. EVERY UNIT HAS HAD AT LEAST ONE BAD SENSOR. NOW I HAVE AN 04 IN THE SHOP WITH A WARNING LIGHT BUT NO CODES IN THE COMPUTER AND AN 06 WITH AN ABS LIGHT THE COMES AND GOES WITH NO REASON. SOMEONE NEEDS TO CHECK THIS OUT. TOO MAY UNITS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE ENGINE JUST SHUTS DOWN. THIS HAPPENS AT ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 10 MILES AFTER STARTING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THIS HAS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF FOUR TIMES TO ME. IT ACTED AS IF THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF. UPON THE SECOND SHUT DOWN, A SCAN TOOL WAS USED AND PRODUCED THE CODE INDICATING THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION IN THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. AFTER PULLING OFF THE ROAD AND ALLOWING THE ENGINE TO SIT FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS THE ENGINE CAN BE RESTARTED AND DRIVEN FOR AS FAR AS 125 MILES WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEM. EACH AND EVERY TIME SINCE THE INITIAL START OF THE PROBLEM, THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THIS ENGINE IS A 8.1 L CHEVROLET ENGINE INSTALLED IN A 2002 RV WITH A CHASSIS BUILD DATE OF 9/28/01. ALL OF THE SYMPTOMS ARE EXACTLY AS NOTED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN ISSUED BY GM. GM RECALL NO. 06083. THE RV CHASSIS MANUFACTURER HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GM HAS A RECALL FOR THIS REASON, AND TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FOR ME TO REPLACE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO GET IT LOOKED AT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE IT IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, THEY WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AND THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT. ONCE THE ENGINE SWITCH IS TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE CODE DOES NOT APPEAR, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR SERVICE TECH"S TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. NO ACCIDENTS OR DEATHS HAVE RESULTED FROM THIS PROBLEM BUT THIS COULD BE A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 WORKHORSE W22 . WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20-30 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT PULLED OFF THE ROAD INTO A GRASSY AREA, WHICH SLOWED DOWN THE VEHICLE AND EVENTUALLY LED TO A COMPLETE STOP. HE PULLED THE VEHICLE BACK ONTO THE ROAD AND DROVE TO A SHOPPING CENTER. THE BRAKES WERE PERFORMING BETTER, BUT DISPLAYED VERY LITTLE STOPPING POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE CALIPER HAD BEEN LOCKED UP FOR QUITE A WHILE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BEARING SEAL ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL, BRAKE PADS, FRONT AND REAR ROTORS, AND THE FRONT AND REAR CALIPERS. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED AN INVESTIGATION RELATING TO THE SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, WHICH DESCRIBED THE SAME FAILURES HE WAS EXPERIENCING. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,856 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,926. UPDATED 11/7/08 *CN THE CALIPERS LOCKED UP, WHICH CAUSED THE ROTORS TO WARP. UPDATED 11/13/08. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NEWMAR MOUNTAIN AIRE WITH A WORKHORSE CHASSIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE BRAKE SEIZURES WITH HIS BRAKE CALIPERS. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE RIGHT. THE FAILURE MELTED THE ABS WIRING AND NEARLY STARTED A FIRE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE BRAKES. THE REPAIR CENTER STATED THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $3,000. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR EVEN IF THE REPAIR WAS MADE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 31,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,500. UPDATED 11/19/08. *JB