Newmar Corporation is recalling certain 2021-2022 Kountry Star and 2021 Ventana motorhomes

Jul 20, 2021 — Recall Campaign #21V542000

Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Kountry Star and 2021 Ventana motorhomes. The tie rod clamps may be loose, which could result in loose tie rod ends that could break or detach.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 11 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

21V542000

Manufacturer:	Newmar Corporation
Recall date:	July 20, 2021
NHTSA Campaign #:	21V542000
Units affected:	11

Description:: Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Kountry Star and 2021 Ventana motorhomes. The tie rod clamps may be loose, which could result in loose tie rod ends that could break or detach.
Consequeces:: Detached or broken tie rod ends can result in steering loss, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective action:: Dealers will replace the tie rod clamp bolts and nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 9, 2022. Owners may contact Newmar customer service at 1-800-731-8300. Newmar's number for this recall is FL-888.
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.nhtsa.gov.

Affects the following:

2021 NEWMAR VENTANA Complaints
The Motorhome is equipped with a computer controlled Comfort Drive steering system ( also known as ReAX-C and other names) that is supposed to keep the vehicle going straight at all times with low steering efforts in side winds, pot holes or against the crown of the road. The Comfort Drive is supposed offer consistent steering feel and allow the driver to concentrate on driving with reduced fatigue. This system appears to only be working part of the time - and that is only when driving on a perfectly flat road with little or no wind. On a recent 4,000 mile cross country trip on Interstate highways in this vehicle with crowned roads, pot holes, construction zones and windy conditions it was a literal “white knuckle” fight to maintain steering in my lane. It was very dangerous situation every day never knowing when a gust of wind was going to blow the vehicle off the road or into another lane. I had to fight every minute to try keep this vehicle under control. I had a previous motorhome with a Comfort Drive system that was totally under control at all times. However, I have been told that this current model has a brand new totally redesigned Comfort Drive system. I have been to the Spartan Factory Service in Charlotte, MI on two separate occasions to have this Comfort Drive fixed. The first time they test drove it and said it was fine. The second time they said they used a test machine and it showed “ no faults” so it is fine. They stated they buy the “Comfort Drive” from ZF- TRW and they simply install it per Newmar request. They said it is not of their manufacture and they don’t really know much about it. I also called Newmar to see if they could help, but they say they have nothing to do with the Spartan Chassis, I need to talk to Spartan. It is “not fine”. I feel this is a serious safety situation waiting for a serious accident waiting to happen.;
2022 NEWMAR KOUNTRY STAR Complaints
The contact owns a 2022 Newmar Kountry Star RV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bump in the roadway, the comfort drive feature failed to operate as designed. Due to the failure, excessive effort was needed to steer the RV. The contact stated that after restarting the RV, the feature was reset and resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the feature was reprogrammed; however, the failure returned soon after service. The contact notified the dealer of the failure and was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The RV was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.;