2nd occurrence of brake sticking / drag during this trip. R rear brake did not release after braking causing drag & overheating. This (and the previous reported incident) occurred after going through a section of in-town stop & go traffic & stop lights. This occurrence was recognized quickly and was not as severe as the previous one. I was able to cool the brakes down and they released.
Workhorse W20 overheating problems
12 of the 33 owner complaints about the Workhorse W20 describe engine overheating, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 20,100
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20043
- 20037
- 20022
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 workhorse w20. The consumer stated the motor home continues to have problems with the brake calipers even though the problem was repaired under recall # 04v084000. The brakes overheated and destroyed the rear speed sensor. The rear brakes were cleaned and adjusted and the speed sensor on the left side was replaced. While driving, the right front brake locked up and the motor home had to e towed. The consumer was informed the rear caliper was frozen. On a separate occasion, the brakes seized and the ABS sensor burned out. The left front calipers had to be replaced, the left front wheels speed sensor as well as the hub seal. Updated 02/09/09 *cn updated 02/10/09.
On 9/6/07, the l.f. Brake on my motorhome seized up and overheated the brake rotor for almost 10 miles until I noticed severe shaking in the steering wheel & smelled "burnt brake lining" when I stopped. I was driving in normal city traffic near alliance, ohio; -not excessive stop and go, but there was maybe 4 red lights over the course of 3 miles distance (at 30 MPH) to stop. My stopping was "normal", not sudden or erratic. The left front hub & wheel got so hot from the caliper/brake assy. Seizing that it boiled away all of the 90w lube on the wheel bearings and blew out the rubber plug on the lube sight glass. I let it cool down for an hour, then looked at the inner side of the l.f. Wheel to see if I'd have to loosen/pry away the seized brake pad or caliper assembly. Surprise, the brake pads were already sitting back away from the rotor; -the caliper had apparently retracted by itself after cooling down. I proceeded slowly to the campground, 5 miles away, and made arrangements to get some 90w lube oil. Lube was replaced the next day and the wheel bearings still felt good; another sight cap seal was installed. On 9/12/07, I took the coach to mainline truck & trailer (a workhorse chassis service dealer) in solon, ohio, for service. In a nutshell, I ended up paying $828.28 to repair the damage and service my coach for future "peace of mind". The following work was performed: serviced all caliper slide pins, lube, & boots on all 4 wheels; confirm correct caliper operation on all 4; replace ABS wheel sensor on left front; reset ABS warning light; inspect all 4 rotors for cracks; replace lf wheel bearing inner seal; inspect lf bearings; inspect rear axle hub seals; etc. On 9/18/08, at 11,891 miles, my right front brake seized up unexpectedly! This time along a 45 MPH state hwy with very infrequent braking. I believe the problem here is faulty ABS controller and or the bosch brakes. They do not always release the calipers. Workhorse ignores this problem!
While my 2003 fleetwood southwind motor home on a workhorse chassis was in for a recall on the instrument cluster (ABS) I was informed that my brake fluid had over heated and the brake system required replacement (calipers, pads, rotors). According to the dealer the fluid overheated, turned to a jelly and would not allow the pistons to retract after the brakes had been applied. Worhorse was contacted by dealer and they refused to acknowledge there was an issue with the brakes. I retained 2 of the brake calipers after repairs were complete. Related to the federal safety agency ea07016.
We had a brake recall done on our 2002 itasca suncruiser motorhome (w20 chassis in jan 2005, mileage 9141. While on vacation in july 2005, the brakes overheated and repairs were authorized by workhorse at no charge at mileage 9,687. Experienced overheating again in september 2007 at mileage 28819. Repairs done at our expense - replace rear rotor, wheel seal and brake pads, ABS ring, rear ABS sensor. After 249 miles, rear brake overheated at mileage 29,068, checked for damage due to overheating but there was none. Had to pay for labor to make this determination.
Rear brakes overheating. No complete failure. Only caused loss of rv vacation and major inconvenience. Pulled off to side of road to allow cool down. Delivered to mechanic for fluid change and checking and lubricating of calipers. This same thing happened 10 months later.
Right front disc brake overheated and caused oil seal failure resulting in contamination of disc brake lining contamination and reduced brake effectiveness.
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
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain motor home and truck chassis equipped with general motors 8.1l v8 engines, improper hardening during the heat treatment process can cause the fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip to fracture, resulting in inadequate retention of the damper. If the damper becomes loose, fuel could be pumped by the fuel pump into the under hood area.
- Risk
- In the presence of an ignition source, a fire could result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel rail pulse damper retainer clips on these engines free of charge. The recall began on september 1, 2006. Owners may contact workhorse at 877‑294‑6773.
Recall number 06V225000 · Recall details
Questions about the Workhorse W20 overheating
Which Workhorse W20 years have engine overheating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (7 complaints), 2004 (3 complaints) and 2002 (2 complaints).
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