ON CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES CONTAINING A 50 AMP TRANSFER SWITCH BUILT BY INTELLITEC

Jul 05, 2005 — Recall Campaign #05V307000

ON CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES CONTAINING A 50 AMP TRANSFER SWITCH BUILT BY INTELLITEC, THE MATERIAL USED FOR THE WIRE LUGS WAS CHANGED FROM NICKEL PLATED TO COPPER LUGS. THE COPPER LUGS ARE SOFTER THAN THE NICKEL PLATED AND DO NOT RETAIN THE TORQUE OF THE SCREW THAT CLAMPS THE WIRE CONNECTOR.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 265 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

05V307000

Manufacturer:	Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc.
Recall date:	July 05, 2005
NHTSA Campaign #:	05V307000
Units affected:	265

Description:: ON CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES CONTAINING A 50 AMP TRANSFER SWITCH BUILT BY INTELLITEC, THE MATERIAL USED FOR THE WIRE LUGS WAS CHANGED FROM NICKEL PLATED TO COPPER LUGS. THE COPPER LUGS ARE SOFTER THAN THE NICKEL PLATED AND DO NOT RETAIN THE TORQUE OF THE SCREW THAT CLAMPS THE WIRE CONNECTOR.
Consequeces:: WHEN THE TORQUE IS RELAXED, THE LUGS CAN BECOME LOOSE RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE HEAT WITHIN THE CONNECTED WIRE THAT COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Corrective action:: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CHANGEOVER BOX. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 21, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TIFFIN AT 1-256-356-8661.
Notes:: CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

Affects the following:

2005 TIFFIN ALLEGRO BAY Complaints
ON JUNE 8, 2010, MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING IN OUR 2005 ///TIFFIN(ALLEGRO BAY) MOTORHOME WHEN THE BRAKES OVERHEATED AND WE LOST ALL BRAKES. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE. BERGEY'S GARAGE IN FRANCONIA, PA., TRANSPORTED OUR VEHICLE TO THEIR FACILITY AND REPAIRED THE CALIPERS ON BOTH REAR BRAKES PLUS OTHER COLLATERAL DAMAGE. PICTURES WERE TAKEN AND THEY CONTACTED WORKHORSE CUSTOM CHASSIS IN TROY, MI TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY WOULD COVER SINCE A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE 50901 C WAS ISSUED. *TR;
2005 TIFFIN ALLEGRO BAY Complaints
ON JUNE 8, 2010, MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING IN OUR 2005 ///TIFFIN(ALLEGRO BAY) MOTORHOME WHEN THE BRAKES OVERHEATED AND WE LOST ALL BRAKES. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE. BERGEY'S GARAGE IN FRANCONIA, PA., TRANSPORTED OUR VEHICLE TO THEIR FACILITY AND REPAIRED THE CALIPERS ON BOTH REAR BRAKES PLUS OTHER COLLATERAL DAMAGE. PICTURES WERE TAKEN AND THEY CONTACTED WORKHORSE CUSTOM CHASSIS IN TROY, MI TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY WOULD COVER SINCE A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE 50901 C WAS ISSUED. *TR;
2005 TIFFIN PHAETON Complaints
2005 ALLEGRO (TIFFIN) PHAETON ON FREIGHTLINER XC CHASSIS WITH CATAPILLAR C7 ENGINE: TRAVELING FROM SARASOTA, FL TO SAN DIEGO, CA STARTING AUGUST 18, 2009 THE ENGINE BEGAN OVERHEATING ON AN EVER MORE FREQUENT BASIS UNTIL AUGUST 27, 2009, WHEN TRAVERSING THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF SAN DIEGO ON INTERSTATE 8 WE WERE FORCED TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY EVERY ONE HALF TO ONE MILE TO COOL DOWN THE ENGINE TO A WORKABLE LEVEL. THESE FREQUENT STOPS CREATED A HAZARD FOR EVERYONE ELSE TRAVELING THAT STRETCH OF HIGHWAY AND CREATED A RISK OF ENGINE FAILURE AND/OR FIRE IN A GENERALLY REMOTE AREA. DURING ONE SUCH STOP WE DID SCRAPE THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON A GUARD RAIL UNDER A RAILROAD TRESTLE. THE DAMAGE HAS NOT YET BEEN ESTIMATED BUT I EXPECT IT TO BE APPROXIMATELY $3,000. THE PROBLEM WAS EVENTUALLY TRACED BY FREIGHTLINER SAN DIEGO TO A TOO SHORT CRANKCASE BLOWBY VENT ON THE ENGINE THAT ALLOWED CRANKCASE OIL MIST TO BE SPRAYED ON THE FORWARD SIDE OF THE RADIATOR BY THE COOLING FAN. SUBSEQUENTLY, DUST AND DIRT THROWN UP DURING DRIVING WAS ABSORBED BY THE OIL AND ESSENTIALLY BLOCKED THE AIR FLOW OVER THE RADIATOR. AFTER SOME MILES (OURS WAS AT ABOUT 49000+ MILES) THE BLOCKAGE BECOMES GREAT ENOUGH TO CAUSE ALMOST TOTAL FAILURE. GIVEN ITS LOCATION THE SIDE OF THE RADIATOR AFFECTED IS NOT VISIBLE TO INSPECTION WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT EFFORT. THE SOLUTION WAS TO REMOVE THE RADIATOR AND THE AIR CHARGE COOLER, CLEAN THEM AND REINSTALL THEM. IN ADDITION, FREIGHTLINER PROVIDED A REPLACEMENT FOR THE CRANKCASE BLOWBY TUBE THAT IS LONGER AND SENDS THE OIL BELOW THE RADIATOR (I.E., THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AT FREIGHTLINER). I DO NOT HAVE THE ORIGINAL TUBE. THE COST FOR THE CLEANING WAS $2,403.78 AND THE PART WAS $256.58 (DONE AT SEPARATE FACILITIES).*TR;
2006 TIFFIN ALLEGRO BUS Complaints
NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 07E033000 CUMMINGS ENGINE SERIAL NUMBER 46565687 ON 6/02/2015 THE WRIST PIN FAILED ON THIS ENGINE THAT FALL IN THE SERIAL NUMBER RANGE 46543077 TO 46603939. THE WRIST PIN FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON LA 1 ABOUT TO TURN ONTO I49 CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. CONTACTED TIFFIN ABOUT IT AND LOCAL CUMMINS DEALER AT TIME OF FAILURE. TIFFIN WAS UNAWARE OF RECALL AND LOCAL CUMMINS DEALER WOULD NOT WORK ON THE MOTOR HOME. HAD A LOCAL ENGINE COMPANY DO THE REPLACEMENT OF ENGINE AND THEY WERE NEVER MADE AWARE OF THE RECALL. LAST NIGHT WHILE RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I STUMBLED UPON THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER. CALLED TIFFIN TO CONFIRM ENGINE SERIAL NUMBER WAS 46565687 AND MADE THEM AWARE OF THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER. ALSO CONFIRMED WITH CONSOLIDATED TRUCK & SERVICE AGAIN TO CONFIRM THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN WHICH WAS "NO". THEN PROCEEDED TO CALL CUMMINGS 1-800-343-7357 AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT TO THE "LOCAL" DEALER. SINCE THAT IS WHERE THE MOTOR HOME ORIGINALLY, THEY REFUSED TO WORK ON IT, WORK HAD BEEN COMPLETED ELSEWHERE THEN WHO INSIDE CUMMINGS DID I TALK TOO? AT THAT POINT HE TOLD ME HE COULDN'T HELP ME AND WOULD NOT TRANSFER ME HIS BOSS. AT THIS POINT I WOULD LIKE A CONTACT AT CUMMINS WHO UNDERSTANDS THE PROBLEM AND WILLING TO WORK ON COVERING THE COST OF REPLACING THE ENGINE THAT OBVIOUSLY FAILED DUE TO A KNOWN PROBLEM. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR;