The contact owns a 2003 Workhorse W22. The contact stated that upon stopping the motorhome in her driveway, her husband discovered a bluish-black color smoke emitting from underneath the vehicle. The rear passenger side brake caliper had caught fire and the contact's husband was able to extinguish the fire with a water hose. The fire department was not called and a report was not filed. The contact stated that the brake and ABS warning lights had illuminated on the instrument panel after the failure. The contact's husband took pictures of the damage and showed them to an independent mechanic. The mechanic then informed the contact's husband of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V110000(SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) which he linked to the failure. The mechanic contacted then notified the manufacturer of the failure but received no assistance. The contact also made multiple attempts to reach the manufacturer but had no success. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
2003 Workhorse W22: fire, smoke or burning smell
13 of the 113 complaints about the 2003 Workhorse W22 describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 21,000
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
2003 workhorse horse chassis. Consumer writes in response to a denial of reimbursement for replacement of caliper assembly. *tgw the consumer stated all of the repairs made from sept 2007 through july 2008 prior to an safety recall notices from workhorse. On september 12, 2007, both front wheel seals were leaking and had to be replaced. Workhorse denied the claim, because they were only considering repairs made after november 16, 2007 for reimbursement. On a separate occasion, while enroute to his summer home, there was a burning odor and smoke coming from the wheel. The mechanic removed the burned ABS sensor and replaced the hub caps and seals.
2003 w22 workhorse chassis. Consumer writes to request a workhorse reimbursement *tgw the consumer is requesting reimbursement as a result of having the calipers replaced. The repair facility recommended the replacement of three rotors which were cracked. The consumer stated there was a distinct brake burning smell, the ABS light illuminated for extended periods of time, and there were at least three times the braking system lost its effectiveness.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 rex hall aerbus motor home, with a workhorse w22 chassis. While driving 60 MPH he engaged the brakes and began to smell something burning. The contact stated he pulled into an rv camp ground and inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to an authorized dealer, the dealer replaced all four brake calibers. He stated the manufacturer was refusing to reimburse him for the repairs since his vehicle was not part of the first recall. He reference recall 09v110000, service brakes, hydraulic and stated he received this recall recently. The contact stated he has not had the above recall repair performed. The failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 22,800.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 winnebago adventurer 38l with a workhorse w22 chassis. While driving approximately 60 MPH he engaged the brakes and smelled something burning. He pulled over into a rest area until the vehicle cooled off. He stated that the ABS light came on and stayed on. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The dealer cleaned and removed all of the wheel sensors. A month later the ABS light came on again. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who removed and cleaned all of the ABS sensors, the calipers and rotors. Two new rear sensors were also installed. Less than a month later, the ABS lights illuminated again. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced recall 09v110000, service brakes, hydraulic. The contact stated that the vehicle had not been used since april 2010. The failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 23,700.
2003 workhorse w22 chassis. Consumer is upset that he was not reimbursed for his rv repairs. *gr prior to the receiving the recall notice, the consumer had to replace two ABS sensors due to heat damage. The consumer stated the rv had been parked for five months prior to the brake failure. The ABS sensors failed because the brake calipers were stuck in the applied position which caused the brake pads to drag on the rotors and heat up. As he was driving, a signal on the dash sounded and the ABS light illuminated and he felt the brake pedal become soft and then it went to the floor. When the consumer exited the rv, there was a very distinct brake burning smell coming from the two rear wheels. Workhorse denied the claim citing there was no indication of excessive heat found nor was it due to a caliper malfunction.
We drove 300 miles and felt the rear calipers hanging up on 3 occasions. As soon as we got on the interstate, we felt the mtrhome had no power, as if the brakes were being applied and then smelled burning brake odor. Stopped at the first rest area in a couple of miles, let them cool for 2 hours, then they did release and as long as we were on the interstate not using brakes, we were fine. As soon as we got off the interstate to go to the rv park, within 2 miles, the brakes once again heated up but not enough to cause damage. Next day we continued on the interstate with no problems until we exited in ocala. Again, we drove a few miles to a park and parked for the night. Next day, drove less than a mile to our workhorse serv ctr to have it checked. They could find no damage to the brakes so were unable to authorize replacement of the rear calipers per safety recall 50901-c. We, however, being familiar with the symptoms, I.e., smell of burning brakes, loss of power, know that they were in fact intermittently hanging up. We opted to replace the rear calipers at our expense($435) since we do not want to be stranded on the side of the road again as we have in the past on 3 occasions. We have replaced all 4 calipers, 4 rotors, brake pads & front brake lines at our expense. We requested reimbursement on the previous issues in july, but have not received a response. We changed the fluid and lubed the slides prior to our recent trip. Since we have had brake failures on 8/18/08, 8/21/08 and 12/4/08 and 11/24/09 we know what it feels like to push the brake petal and have it go all the way to the floor and not stop. We feel that we are being penalized because we are conscientious drivers and do not continue driving until the calipers are so hot they burn up the whole brake assembly. It seems that only the irresponsible drivers who continue driving until the brakes are toast get replacement calipers from wh. This is a safety issue that is not being addressed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 workhorse w22. The contact stated that the brakes were replaced four times. The brake pedal would stick to the floor, fail to stop the vehicle and exhibit a burning smell when the brake pedal was engaged. The federal safety agency campaign #09v110000, service brakes, hydraulic was related to the failure; however, he received no assistance from the dealer. The manufacturer refused assume the repair cost on three occasions; however, the manufacturer assumed responsibility for the most recent failure. The manufacturer also stated that if the contact submits invoices for the first three repairs, they would reimburse him; however, they denied reimbursement after they received the invoice. The brakes have continued to fail; although, there were four attempts to repair them. The current mileage was approximately 53,400. The failure mileage was 5,000. Updated 11/03/09 *bf the consumer stated the brake failure happened with no warning and while the rv was moving. Updated 11/04/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 workhorse w22 chassis. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the brake disc and wheel cylinders failed. He replaced the unit, but shortly afterwards, the braking system locked while driving. The dealer stated that they did not have the parts to repair the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was 20,000 and current mileage was 30,000. Updated 11/23/09 *bf the rear rotors were broken and the right front hub seal were leaking. Updated 11/24/09
We own 2003 rv on a workhorse chassis. We just received from workhorse safety recall 50901c interim notice. In may 2008 our rear brakes locked up in ocala, fl while enroute to our home in ri. Severe overheating with brake burning smell, brakes dragging and the brakes became suddenly mushy when applied, we did not realize it was our brakes because our windows were closed. When the ABS light came on I immediately pulled over, discovered the rear hubs were very hot. We were towed to a wheel and brake facility near I 75 where it was determined there was extensive damage from the heat. Replaced were bearings in the differential, calipers, rotors. Pads. We have contacted the repair facility to mail us a complete list of repairs. We had 23 days left on a five yr. Extended warranty that paid over $1700 and we paid out of pocket over $2100 that was not covered by the insurance for some reason. This yr, april 2009, we again tried to drive the rv home from central fl and made it 20 miles up us27 when again we noticed the burning smell, pulled over, and this time the front hubs were very hot so we returned the rv to the campground and make plans to have the front brakes fixed when we return in the fall. We did not feel there was any hope for us until we got the recall notice the other day here in ri.
While traveling in our rv for no apparently reason, we suddenly began to smell burning brakes, then the steering began to shimmy and vibrate. When the brake was applied the vibration increased. I immediately pulled off at a safe area, unhooked my tow vehicle and went for assistance. All four rotors and brake pads were replaced at a cost of $2209.89. This is the first time we have experienced any problems with our brakes and it happened suddenly with no warning. The old parts were sent back as "core" parts by the repair facility. We are now aware of the federal safety agency ea07-016 involving bosch brake calipers overheating, causing the rotors to go bad and believe our workhorse chasis which does have this brand of calipers has experienced the same problem as was described in this bulletin. Upon completion of this repair, we proceeded on our trip. About 75 miles farther, we again smelled brakes burning. We pulled off the road as fast as we could and called our roadservice. The passenger side front brake was smoking. They sent out a mobile repair tech who removed the tire/wheel, removed the caliper and lubricated the caliper slide. The caliper seemed to be working normally, however, we are at a loss as to what actually caused our problem and are concerned that the cause has not been addressed and it will reoccur.
Front brakes have locked up twice on this workhorse w22 chassis. The first time they were patched under warranty. However, the calipers were not replaced and they failed again one year later. Workhorse refused to pay for the repair even though they know from their past experience that all the calipers they used over a period of years are bad. This is a safety hazard and had I not recognized the problem and stopped there could have been a major fire in the motorhome in which my wife and I were riding. Their failure to even acknowledge the problem, even though there is a current the federal safety agency investigation, seems almost criminal. Is someone going to have to die before they are forced to pay for their mistakes. Earlier in the life of this rv the rear brakes locked up and the pads did indeed catch on fire but I was able to stop and extinguish them before the vehicle was burned. I would like for workhorse to acknowledge their problem and repay me the $1,177.37 that I had to pay to fix their problem.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Workhorse W22 fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2003 Workhorse W22?
13 of 113 owner complaints about the 2003 Workhorse W22 (12%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Workhorse W22?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Workhorse W22
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