The defect
Thor Motor Coach (Thor) is recalling certain model year 2011 through 2013 Tuscany, Astoria, Ultrasport, Montecito, and Palazzo recreational vehicles manufactured from May 17, 2010, through October 30, 2012, built on Freightliner brand XB and XC custom chassis. The vehicles are equipped with diode jumpers that may come loose in their connectors resulting in an open circuit. Two circuits are affected: The one that disengages the cruise control with brake pedal use, and the one that illuminates the brake lights with brake pedal use.
The risk
Failure of the cruise control to disengage when the brakes are applied may increase the risk of a vehicle crash. Without the brake lights illuminating when the brakes are applied, the driver's intent is not communicated, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Daimler Trucks (DTNA) will notify owners on behalf of Thor, and Freightliner dealers will inspect the diode jumpers to make sure they are fully locked in place and will correct the vehicles as needed. The recall is expected to begin January 28, 2013. Owners should contact DTNA Warranty Campaigns Department at (800) 547-0712, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time Monday through Friday, e-mail address DTNA.Warranty.Campaigns@Daimler.com, or the Customer Assistance Center at (800) FTL-HELP after normal business hours.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thor Motor Coach Astoria | 2011 |
| Thor Motor Coach Montecito | 2011 |
| Thor Motor Coach Palazzo | 2013 |
| Thor Motor Coach Tuscany | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Thor Motor Coach Ultrasport | 2011 |
Components: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thor Motor Coach Astoria | 2011 | 0 | 5 |
| Thor Motor Coach Montecito | 2011 | 0 | 2 |
| Thor Motor Coach Palazzo | 2013 | 8 | 4 |
| Thor Motor Coach Tuscany | 2011 | 1 | 6 |
| Thor Motor Coach Tuscany | 2012 | 0 | 6 |
| Thor Motor Coach Tuscany | 2013 | 1 | 7 |
| Thor Motor Coach Ultrasport | 2011 | 0 | 1 |
Other vehicle speed control recalls in 2012
8 of the 583 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2012 concerned the vehicle speed control; Thor Motor Coach filed 124 campaigns in all.
| 12V577000 10 Dec 2012 | CHAMPION BUS, INC. |
| 12V552000 29 Nov 2012 | Daimler Trucks North America |
| 12V357000 27 Jul 2012 | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS |
| 12V353000 26 Jul 2012 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 12V305000 29 Jun 2012 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 12V303000 26 Jun 2012 | PREVOST CARS, INC. |
| 12V071000 24 Feb 2012 | TIFFIN MOTORHOMES, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2012