Tl* the contact owns a 2001 winnebago. The contact smelled something burning, and stated that the brakes were dragging. The manufacturer replaced the brake pads, rotors, and ABS. The contact later received a recall for the brakes. The manufacturer installed a brake repair kit on 11/4/04, but the vehicle began to experience the same brake failure and burning smell. The contact has the repair invoice from the recall. The failure mileage was 41000. *ak update 4/19/2007
The worst 2001 Workhorse W20 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes1
- Electrical1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes1
- Electrical1
Recalls 3
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Navistar is recalling certain model year my 2001-2008 workhorse w20, w21 and w22 chassis and certain model year 2009 through 2011 monaco rv admiral, arista, monarch, and riptide recreational vehicles equipped with axles that include bosch zops or zoht pin slide hydraulic disc brakes. When combined with occasional or seasonal vehicle operation may experience calipers sticking in the applied position. This can result in abnormal heat generation at the wheel end causing brake drag. The driver would normally have warning of the brake drag if undetected by the driver.
- Risk
- The temperature increase at the wheel end can eventually lead to soft pedal conditions due to brake fluid boil, and possible extended stopping distance increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Workhorse dealers will replace all four bosch brake caliper assemblies free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2010. Owners may contact workhorse at 1‑877‑246‑7731.
Recall number 09V110000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- On certain motorhome chassis equipped with bosch zops, the pads can drag on the rotor surface due to the pin slide.
- Risk
- A hang up or lock up may cause the calipers to over heat and not allow the driver to stop safely. This could cause overheating of the brake calipers which could result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect, repair and replace according to the procedure developed by bosch (see campaign 03e064000). The recall began on august 1, 2004. Owners should contact workhorse at 1‑877‑294‑6773.
Recall number 04V084000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear: springs: leaf spring assembly: u-bolt, leaf spring to axle
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: motor home and commercial chassis. The rear axle u-bolts may not be tightened correctly due to random failure of production tooling in the specified time span.
- Risk
- Low u-bolt torque can result in u-bolts coming loose and not properly retaining the rear axle to the vehicle, resulting in a loss of vehicle control.
- Remedy
- Dealers will tighten the rear axle u-bolts. Owner notification is expected to begin october 10, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact workhorse at 1‑877‑946‑7731.
Recall number 01V317000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 2001 Workhorse W20
Defect investigations
Overheating disc brake caliper
The ea was opened to gain a technical understanding of the causes for one or more disc brake calipers on a subject vehicle to suffer severe overheating. The overheating caused brake drag, melting ABS sensors, smoking, brake lining fires, and in some cases boiling brake fluid resulting in diminished stopping capability.based on testing, warranty and complaint data analysis, field trips and interviews with owners, mechanics and service managers, odi believes the likely cause of the alleged defect is water swell of the phenolic caliper piston and subsequent failure of the piston to fully return after the pedal is released.a technical report is attached with full details.
EA07016
Overheated brake calipers
On june 25, 2007, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate alleged overheating disc brake calipers and poor brake performance in model year (my) 2000-2005 workhorse chassis recreational vehicles.currently odi is aware of 651 specific complaints on the subject vehicles (odi and workhorse complaint population).odi analysis of the warranty and complaint data furnished by workhorse on september 11, 2007, in response to odi's information request indicates a dramatic drop in brake related complaints after the may 2004 build date.at that time, workhorse incorporated into production zerk fittings and greasing of the brake master cylinder's bell crank linkage.odi is also aware of 3,782 unique warranty counts related to the alleged defect in the subject population.a review of the warranty claims reveals that of the claims filed, only 88 were submitted on vehicles produced after the may 2004 production line change (addition of zerk fittings).odi intends to obtain an understanding of why there are seemingly significant differences in the complaint data and warranty claims before and after the may 2004 design change and the safety consequences of the pre-change design. This investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea07-016) for further investigation.
PE07032
Overheating front and rear brakes
This investigation was derived from information gathered during pe02-046, bosch disc brake calipers.this investigation focused on the vehicle manufacturer, newmar.subject vehicles were those built with a hydraulic brake system incorporating the bosch zero offset pin slide (zops) calipers.odi'sconcern wasexcessive wheel end heat, possibly resulting in a wheel end fire.during the investigation, odi discovered two specific newmar vehicle models, those built on newmar chassis and those built on a workhorse chassis. As a result of the ageny's investigation into this matter, all newmarowners will be notified (04v‑019) and the remedy will be applied to their vehicles. Some newmar vehicles (1,795) built on the workhorse chassis are being recalled by workhorse (04v‑084).this investigation is closed.further details are provided on pages 2, 3, and 4.copies of both safety recalls are attached.
EA03003
What 2001 Workhorse W20 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I own a 2001 safari trek, built on a 17000 gvw workhorse chassis. I was traveling at the posted speed limit (70 MPH) in the center lane of highway 99 in fresno ca. My cruise control disengaged (the first sign) and I reset it. Several minutes later, the engine lost power, the gauges failed, and the emergency brake came on. Luckily I was able to bring the motorhome to a complete stop, all the way off the road. As it turns out, the ignition switch failed internally, causing excessive resistance and heat in the pink power wire which feeds the chassis part of the vehicle. The main problem, besides suddenly loosing power, is that the emergency brake comes on automatically when then vehicle is put into park. When the ignition switch failed, the power to the emergency brake failed, and it came on, full force, at seventy miles and hour! If I had been tired, or the road conditions been rainy, curvy, icy etc, things may have turned out very, very bad. If I had been traveling slower, or had a lighter vehicle, I and my family might have wound up stopped in the middle of the freeway. I wound up literally hot wiring the vehicle to get home, and the problem recurred two more times because the connection that I had to rig up, kept coming loose. From my experience, it only takes a very short ,intermittent loss of power to trigger the emergency brake. I am an ase certified automotive technician, and would appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue. Personally, I am going to re-wire it somehow to prevent this from happening again.
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Questions about the 2001 Workhorse W20
Is the 2001 Workhorse W20 reliable?
Owners have filed 2 complaints about the 2001 Workhorse W20, fewer than a typical W20 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Workhorse W20?
Brakes, with 1 complaint. Next is electrical (1).
How many recalls does the 2001 Workhorse W20 have?
3 recalls, covering service brakes, hydraulic and suspension.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Workhorse W20 brakes?
Yes, 2 recalls: 09V110000, 04V084000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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