Brake failure - lockup of front brake caliper / rotor causing overheating and brake failure. No serious injury resulted. Caused trip delay and significant cost to repair replace brake components affected. Dealer inspected and diagnosed significant overheating and cracking of the front rotors and recommended replacement of same and pads & seals at a cost of approx $900. This unit was purchased used with approx 37600 miles at which time the dealer (wh service center) inspected and replace brake pads on all 4 wheels. This unit is stored for several months at a time but has always been inside storage and the unit is not driven in winter weather.
2003 Workhorse W20: brake failure
6 of the 11 complaints about the 2003 Workhorse W20 describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 55%
- typical mileage
- 15,100
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
Brake failure by model year
- 20061
- 20043
- 20036
- 20012
What owners say
Ltr from congressman bishop on behalf of constituent re an update on an inquiry he previously submitted re w20 and w22 chassis brakes. *nj the consumer stated the rear brake rotors overheated. The boiling brake fluid also lead to the brake failure.
Partial lockup of rear calipers on a 2003 workhorse w-20 chassis on a 2004 fleetwood flair 33r motorhome after traveling approximately 100 miles on relatively flat highway entering traffic with stoplights. After about 10 miles in the stop and go traffic, a slight 'brake smell' was noticed. This was approximately 10 miles from home. I got out and checked the wheels and both rear wheels were hot to the touch. At approximately 1 mile from home the ABS light came on and the brake pedal went to the floor. When this happened, I pumped the pedal a few times and had brakes. I limped home in this condition. Parked at home I noticed the master cylinder was hot, the brake line to the rear brakes was hot, a sensor had melted off the right rear dual, and a length (approx. 18 inches) of fine, coiled, copper wire was hanging from the caliper. To me it looked like it came out of the melted sensor. The left wheel was hot, and nothing was melted. An appointment was made to get it looked at on 8/26/08.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 damon workhorse (na). While driving 30 MPH, the contact was flagged down by another motorist and advised to pull over. Once he pulled off the road, he discovered that the brakes failed. He stopped the vehicle with the emergency brake. The vehicle was towed to his residence. When the wheels were removed from the vehicle, the brake shoes were fine, however, the left rear wheel overheated and caused the caliper to boil the brake fluid. He was informed that the calipers and brake rotors needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 15,100. Updated 01/24/08 . *lj updated
Brake failure. Rear brakes overheated and boiled the brake fluid. Coach was towed to camping time rv in oakwood, ga. It has been there for over a month awaiting parts. Brake pedal went to the floor. Rear hubs too hot to touch and boiled the brake fluid.*jb updated 01/11/08. *lj the master cylinder was defective. Updated
Brakes failed at below freezing temp.extreme pressure had to be applied to get minimal brake pressure after which I had to pull brake pedal up by hand. The brake pedal was froze to the top.
Related recalls
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
Questions about the 2003 Workhorse W20 brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2003 Workhorse W20?
6 of 11 owner complaints about the 2003 Workhorse W20 (55%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Workhorse W20?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Workhorse W20
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