While driving on the dc beltway in traffic, the brake pedal went to the floor without stopping. Pumping the pedal gave enough power to stop vehicle. Abs warning light also came on. Stopped vehicle on side of road. Brakes were very hot. Disconnected car we were towing and attempted to continue. Brakes did cool off and returned to normal operation. We had previously towed the car without any problems. Rv was taken to an authorized shop about 5 miles from campground. They said they knew about the problem and could "patch" it until workhorse came out with a fix.
Workhorse W20 brake failure problems
12 of the 33 owner complaints about the Workhorse W20 describe brake failure, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 20,100
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20061
- 20043
- 20036
- 20012
Often reported together
What owners say
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.
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.
While driving on us441 near tavares fl got a warning light for anti lock brakes. Pulled over into a shopping area. Left front wheel and right rear dual wheel were hot. Restarted engine got a brake failure warning on dash message center. Let brakes cool for approximately 90 minutes. Drove home then to workhorse repair center without further trouble. Courtesy chevrolet replaced 4 rotors 4 calipers 2 anti lock sensor and replaced brake fluid.
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
This is a brake failure on ,my 2004 allegro motorhome built on a w-20 chassis manufactured by workjorse custom chassis. On the date in question, the right rear brake locked up and overheated. The left rear brake overheated. These actions caused replacement of the right rear caliper, roter, seals and slide pins. The caliper and slide pins were replaced on the left rear brake. The calipers and slide on both front brakes were replaced due to overheating. Old parts are available for inspection. The work was performed at an authorized workhorse service center and the coast can be provided upon request
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
Driving rv normally about 40 MPH when required to stop. Brake pedal went to the floor. Pumped vigorously and got a small amount of pedal. When unit cooled, was able to drive slowly for repair. Left rear rotor was scored and the caliper was sticking, causing the brake fluid to boil. *jb updated 12/12/07 *bf updated 12/12/07
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
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
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
Questions about the Workhorse W20 brake failure
Which Workhorse W20 years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (6 complaints), 2004 (3 complaints) and 2001 (2 complaints).
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