The defect
Newmar Corporation (Newmar) recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Essex, and 2015 Mountain Aire and London Aire motorhomes manufactured from May 20, 2013, through April 09, 2015. These vehicles are built on Freightliner rear engine chassis that have 18,000lb or 20,000lb-capacity front axles. In these motorhomes, the power steering fluid temperature may exceed the power steering hose material rating, subsequently causing the hoses to fail, resulting in a sudden loss of power steering.
The risk
Loss of power steering assist would result in increased difficulty to steer the vehicle in either direction at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Newmar will notify owners, and Freightliner dealers will replace the power steering hose with a higher temperature rated one, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2016. Owners may contact Freightliner customer service at 1-800-547-0712 or Newmar customer service at 1-800-731-8300. Newmar's number for this recall is 16V-121.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Newmar Essex | 2014, 2015 |
| Newmar London Aire | 2015 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2015 |
Components: STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
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 Essex | 2014 | 0 | 13 |
| Newmar Essex | 2015 | 1 | 14 |
| Newmar London Aire | 2015 | 0 | 8 |
| Newmar Mountain Aire | 2015 | 1 | 6 |
Other steering recalls in 2016
39 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the steering; Newmar Corporation filed 120 campaigns in all.
| 16V899000 14 Dec 2016 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 16V857000 29 Nov 2016 | Van Hool N.V. |
| 16V826000 15 Nov 2016 | Newmar Corporation |
| 16V809000 7 Nov 2016 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 16V745000 17 Oct 2016 | Entegra Coach |
| 16V743000 17 Oct 2016 | Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC |
| 16V720000 7 Oct 2016 | Autocar, LLC |
| 16V723000 7 Oct 2016 | Autocar Industries, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016