Newmar Corporation is recalling certain 2017-2018 Dutch Star

Mar 22, 2017 — Recall Campaign #17V195000

Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Dutch Star, 2016-2018 Mountain Aire and London Aire, and 2012-2018 Essex and King Aire motorhomes built on a Spartan Motors chassis. The ball joints on the independent front suspension (IFS) modules can loosen and separate, leading to a partial loss of steering.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 595 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

17V195000

Manufacturer:	Newmar Corporation
Recall date:	March 22, 2017
NHTSA Campaign #:	17V195000
Units affected:	595

Description:: Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Dutch Star, 2016-2018 Mountain Aire and London Aire, and 2012-2018 Essex and King Aire motorhomes built on a Spartan Motors chassis. The ball joints on the independent front suspension (IFS) modules can loosen and separate, leading to a partial loss of steering.
Consequeces:: A separated ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective action:: Newmar will notify owners, and Spartan service centers will remove, clean, apply thread locker, reinstall and torqued the ball joints, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 3, 2017. Owners may contact Spartan at 1-800-543-4277 to locate a qualified service center or contact Newmar customer service at 1-574-773-7791. Newmar's number for this recall is 17004.
Notes:: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Affects the following:

2018 NEWMAR DUTCH STAR Complaints
Window Adhesive Failure Adhesive failure may cause the vent portion of the window to detach, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V571000 Manufacturer Newmar Corporation Components EQUIPMENT, STRUCTURE Had to purchase 4 windows from Newmar For the window failures in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V571000. Newmar denied the recall claim. This problem goes well beyond 2108 models all the way to 2016 models. Newmar is just trying to mitigate their costs by lying and denying claims. Remedy: I want reimbursement for the cost of the 4 replacement windows.;
2018 NEWMAR KING AIRE Complaints
I OWN A 2018 NEWMAR KING AIRE MOTOR HOME. I HAD A GEN 5 DIESEL EXHAUST FLUID (DEF) SENSOR FAIL AT 10,000 MILES. I WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES IN THAT WHEN THE DASH LIT UP WITH WARNINGS I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME BEFORE IT WENT INTO DERATE. I WAS LESS THAN 200 MILES AWAY AT THE TIME. THERE ARE MANY LINKS ON WWW.IRV2.COM ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH MANY OTHER MOTOR HOME OWNERS. SOME VERY SCARY PUTTING LIVES AT RISK. THE DERATE LIMP MODE OF BEING ABLE TO GO 5MPH JUST DOES NOT SUFFICE. THERE IS NOTHING ON THE WARNINGS THAT TELL YOU HOW MANY MILES YOU CAN DRIVE BEFORE DERATE. THERE IS NO 'RESET BUTTON' TO GET YOU EITHER HOME OR TO A SERVICE CENTER. (SUGGESTION, SINCE THIS IS AN EPA MANDATE, COULDN'T THE EPA LET THE MANUFACTURERS HAVE A RESET BUTTON TO GET TO A SERVICE CENTER? IT WOULD REQUIRE A CALL TO THE EPA, MUST BE MANNED 24 HRS A DAY, SO THAT THEY CAN KEEP TRACK SO PEOPLE DON'T ABUSE.) I AM ALL FOR REDUCING EMISSIONS ON DIESEL ENGINES, BUT I AM NOT FOR PUTTING MY LIFE AT RISK TO ACHIEVE THIS. THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY. LIVES ARE BEING PUT AT RISK. [XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).;
2018 NEWMAR MOUNTAIN AIRE Complaints
These vehicles, built on a Spartan K3 chassis and powered by a Cummins ISX-12 engine are experiencing very high failure rates in the DEF system control head. When the control head fails, it sends error codes that result in derating engine power dramatically and/or immediate engine shut-down. This creates a very dangerous situation for anyone driving a motorhome that experiences this problem. In extreme cases, it may stop the vehicle in traffic lanes. Spartan Chassis says replacement DEF control heads are in extremely short supply and they will not provide one to a repair facility unless the affected vehicle has experienced a full derating; an initial warning message of a failing control head is deemed insufficient cause for them to provide a replacement part. Their official response is that “you must drive it until it fails before we will provide a replacement unit.” This means drivers of these motorhomes will either be subject to sudden (and, potentially very dangerous) engine shut-down, or they must cease using their expensive motorhome until such time as Spartan Chassis feels they again have a sufficient stock of replacement units. Many motorhome owners use their vehicles full time; they are their home. The inability to safely use them places a huge burden on those owners. I believe NHTSA needs to issue a recall on affected vehicles and direct Spartan Chassis to implement a software emergency bypass of the engine derating caused by a faulty DEF control head. It is my understanding that this software bypass solution already exists and is currently implemented on emergency vehicles (fire trucks) produced by Spartan Chassis.;