The defect
Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Dutch Star, Mountain Aire, Essex, and 2015-2016 London Aire vehicles manufactured March 27, 2013, to October 16, 2015 and built on a Freightliner chassis. On certain recreational vehicles built with a heavier, adjustable foot pedal, the brake activation signal to certain towed devices may not deactivate when the service brakes are released.
The risk
If the brake activation signal to a towed device remains active when the motorhome chassis service brakes are released, the brakes on a towed device may remain engaged depending on brake configuration of the trailer. As a result, the brakes would drag and possibly overheat potentially resulting in a fire. Additionally, following drivers may be confused by the motorhome's actions, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Newmar will notify owners, and Freightliner dealers will modify the affected assemblies, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Freightliner/Daimler Trucks North America LLC at 1-800-547-0712 or Newmar customer service at 1-800-731-8300. Newmar's number for this recall is 16V-204.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Newmar Essex | 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Newmar London Aire | 2015, 2016 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2014, 2015, 2016 |
Components: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES
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 | 2014 | 2 | 14 |
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2015 | 5 | 11 |
| Newmar Dutch Star | 2016 | 4 | 11 |
| Newmar Essex | 2014 | 0 | 13 |
| Newmar Essex | 2015 | 1 | 14 |
| Newmar Essex | 2016 | 0 | 7 |
| Newmar London Aire | 2015 | 0 | 8 |
| Newmar London Aire | 2016 | 1 | 8 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2014 | 1 | 9 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2015 | 1 | 6 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2016 | 0 | 8 |
Other service brakes, hydraulic recalls in 2016
18 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the service brakes, hydraulic; Newmar Corporation filed 120 campaigns in all.
| 16V949000 23 Dec 2016 | DRV Suites |
| 16V922000 21 Dec 2016 | General Motors LLC |
| 16V901000 14 Dec 2016 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 16V854000 28 Nov 2016 | KTM North America, Inc. |
| 16V802000 4 Nov 2016 | General Motors LLC |
| 16V752000 18 Oct 2016 | Polaris Industries, Inc. |
| 16V691000 26 Sept 2016 | Piaggio Group Americas. Inc. |
| 16V636000 2 Sept 2016 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016