The defect
Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain model year 2011 through 2013 Ventana Class A, Dutch Star Class A, and Mountain Aire Class A model motor homes manufactured from January 25, 2010, through September 19, 2012, built on Freightliner brand XB and XC custom chassis. The chassis are equipped with connectors for diode jumpers that may come loose, 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 Newmar, 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 |
|---|---|
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Newmar Ventana | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2011 | 0 | 6 |
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2012 | 0 | 6 |
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2013 | 0 | 8 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2011 | 0 | 5 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2012 | 0 | 5 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2013 | 0 | 5 |
| Newmar Ventana | 2011 | 0 | 5 |
| Newmar Ventana | 2012 | 0 | 5 |
| Newmar Ventana | 2013 | 1 | 6 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2012
25 of the 583 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2012 concerned the exterior lighting; Newmar Corporation filed 120 campaigns in all.
| 12V602000 26 Dec 2012 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. |
| 12V561000 4 Dec 2012 | AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI |
| 12V553000 30 Nov 2012 | Ford Motor Company |
| 12V538000 15 Nov 2012 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 12V493000 10 Oct 2012 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 12V490000 9 Oct 2012 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 12V484000 4 Oct 2012 | General Motors LLC |
| 12V454000 17 Sept 2012 | General Motors LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2012