2000 DSDP tire / axle recall?

I'm about to purchase a seemingly well-maintained 2000 Dutch Star on a Freightliner chassis with a 330-hp Cat. The owner confirmed that the front tires are the 255/80s (2 year old Michelins), which from my research indicates that this coach must have slipped past the 2004 Newmar recall in which these tires were replaced with 275/80 to yield a front axle capacity rating of 12,000 (up from 10,400). I'm wondering if anyone has any advice regarding
(1) whether Newmar will still take care of this after a full decade
(2) whether this potentially-overloaded axle is likely to have led to other problems (suspension, etc).

I had read somewhere that 2000 DSDP owners had the actual axle replaced by Newmar as well, to the 14,600# rated one. Any thoughts on whether that's worth pursuing would be great.

And in general, is this non-updated, early-2000 model still a worthy gamble based on these factors, or would these be enough to make you reconsider, all else equal?

Thanks in advance.

Call Newmar.

Call Newmar and ask - can't hurt. There is no time limitation on an actual NHTSA recall, but the company has some discretion on voluntary recalls and total discretion on "service campaigns".

Thanks. I did call Newmar this morning... They referred me to Freightliner... We shall see if I get bounced around. Appreciate the feedback!

Hmmm. That doesn't sound right.  The Freightliner chassis was equipped with the tires specified by Newmar, so I'm pretty sure it's a Newmar safety issue rather than Freightliner problem.

I believe the "recall" in question is this one. Technically it is NOT a recall at all. They call them "safety improvements and it's voluntary by the manufacturer, which is Newmar.

ON CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES BUILT ON SPARTAN/FREIGHTLINER CHASSIS AND EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN 255/80R22.5 XRV TIRES, THE CORDS CAN FATIGUE IF THE TIRES ARE OVERLOADED OR UNDERINFLATED.
Hazard:    THIS MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:    DEALERS WILL REPLACE ONLY THE FRONT TIRES. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE FRONT TIRES ARE NOT ROTATED TO THE REAR. A CERTIFICATION TAG DOCUMENTING THE NEW FRONT TIRES INSTALLATION AND SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING THE REAR TIRE INFLATION PRESSURES TO 105 PSI WILL BE ISSUED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 9, 2004. 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 NEWMAR AT 1-574-773-2381.
Additional Info:    THIS ACTION IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE SAFETY ACT.THE COMPANY HAS INFORMED NHTSA THAT IT WILL PROVIDE THE MODIFICATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE FREE OF CHARGE.CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

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NHTSA Source:    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallresults.cfm?start=1&SearchType=QuickSearch&rcl_ID=04V037000

Thanks Gary! I had gotten the same impression both from the recall text and the forum posts I'd seen stating that Newmar had replaced the tires. Unfortunately with a baby in my ear as I talked to the seller, I made the big mistake of forgetting to ask for the VIN. oh well - after the holiday weekend I will get it and will be able to call Newmar and Freightliner again. Seems like going after them to fix something the coach's owners were notified about in 2004 is a long shot. Will post my update, but anyone who has been through this - I'd love your feedback!
Also, if I hit a dead end and neither Newmar nor Freightliner steps up to replace the tires, what is the forum's opinion - proceed with the existing 255/80s (which are in great shape), or invest in new 275/80s up front at my expense in order to increase the front axle capacity? Am I at risk of overloading the suspension and creating more problems "down the road"?

Gary is right, it was a Newmar campaign to improve the safety.  It was not mandatory for them to do this and there were no  notices to individual owners, only  a general notice through dealers as far as I recall.

Most units after late 2000 came with the 275/80 tires and were not affected.

I doubt Newmar will acknowledge and take care of the tires.  I suspect the people now at Newmar don't know about the "recall" as they were probably not there at the time.

There were some axle changes but they were on later models and I believe on Mountain Aire MHs or maybe even the more expensive ones.

You can check with the people on the Newmar owners list on Yahoo, https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NEWMAROWNERS/info, as several oft them did have the tires changed at no cost to them.

Can you tell me the owner's name as I may know of them through the Newmar lists.

I would get the unit and change the tires to the 275/80 and go RVing.

Pausingnomad said:

Also, if I hit a dead end and neither Newmar nor Freightliner steps up to replace the tires, what is the forum's opinion - proceed with the existing 255/80s (which are in great shape), or invest in new 275/80s up front at my expense in order to increase the front axle capacity? Am I at risk of overloading the suspension and creating more problems "down the road"?

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Be aware that changing the tire will NOT increase the GAWR for the front axle.  It will remain whatever is on the placard in the MH UNLESS you can get Newmar to issue a new one.  Good luck on that.  It will however provide a safety margin.

If you go forward with this unit, get it weighed before buying so you know what the unloaded weight is, full fuel especially as that is mostly on the front wheels, also you and the family on board.  This will tell you how much margin you have for your stuff!.  For what it is worth, the essentially same chassis in 2001 has a 29.000 lbs. Gross weight limit compared to the 27,000 in the 2000.  I seem to remember this is all due to the tire changes front and rear.  Check to see if there is a tag on both the front and rear axles with the weight rating for that axle.  This will provide a better definition of what the chassis could be rated for.  On my 2001 DSDP the rear axle is rated at 20,000 on the tag but only 19,000 on the placard.  This was totally an attempt by Newmar to differentiate between models as is the 100 gallon fuel tank on the DSDPs vs the Mountain Aire's 150 gallon one.  My DSDP has a large empty space behind the 100 gallon tank that would allow a 150 gallon tank to fit.

I think the original problem was that the 255/80 tires did not support the full axle GAWR anyway, so increasing the tire size enables the use of the full GAWR.

I would just add this. If those front tires are original, no matter they are "in great shape", I would certainly recommend they be changed to new. DOT regulations requiring date codes on tires didn't go into effect until 2000, so they may not have them. If they do, chances are they are newer.

A 1999 model motor home is likely built on a 1998 chassis which would (I think) include the tires, so they may be as old as 16 years! Yikes! Definitely a safety issue that should not be ignored.

Safe travels all,

Stan

parttymer said:

DOT regulations requiring date codes on tires didn't go into effect until 2000, so they may not have them.


Stan

Click to expand...

Not quite true. Prior to 2000 the tire date was the last 3 digits on the DOT code. First 2 were the week of manufacture and the 3rd was the year. Only problem was you could tell an 88 tire from a 98 tire. That's why the date code was expanded to 4 digits.

In his case if the date code is 3 digits (these numbers are after the letter part of the code) say 408, the tire were made in the 40th week of 1998. (if the code is 4008, then they are from 40 week of 2008)

ken

Thank you for that clarification, Ken.

Stan

If it is a three digit code I would reccommend changing them before going anywhere!

I agree, if its 3 digits hopefully there is a tire dealer nearby!

ken

As expected, I'm learning things I didn't know I didn't know. Thanks everyone! I am headed over to inspect it again tomorrow, crawl underneath, etc., and will be smarter now due to all your help...

You originally stated the tires were two-year-old Michelins (per the previous owner) but now you can verify that yourself. It would be wise to do so, for all 6 tires.

I went over there today and saw 1211 - so March 2011. But it was only on one of the tires. All of them matched and all looked equally worn, but i expected the date code to be in the same spot on all 6. I decided that since I don't really know how to look at suspension or boots, etc., that I would hire a neutral inspector tomorrow.  I will get more issues that turn up I'm sure. Then comes the moment of truth - hand over my deposit or move on...
Two other things popped up today and I'm wondering if they are cause for concern.
1 . Only 49 hours on the LP generator. For a rig manufactured in April 1999, that seems way too low. Wouldn't you rather have 800 hours than 50 on a gen?
2. The car fax shows it was registered in Saskatchewan for the first 11 of its 15 years. Since then it was in MO, TX, and AZ which is a great RV-friendly climate. I understand Saskatchewan has a relatively dry climate, but are its weather extremes rough on rubber parts, roof seals, gaskets, etc?

Since this is my first rv, I'm trying rather unsuccessfully to remind myself that a diesel RV isn't like a car in that a 10-year old one with 150k miles isn't as likely to be on its last legs. But until an RV under 10 years old is in the budget, I just have to make an educated guess and save some money for maintenance...

Moving parts on a diesel chassis coach wear out like anything else, but the parts are generally very  much heavy duty to begin with. However, the only "million mile" part of the diesel is the engine block and internal parts (pistons, etc). Suspension, steering, brakes, wheel bearings, etc. are all subject to the usual wear & tear of a vehicle, so mileage counts.

49 hours on a generator obviously means it was seldom used, but LP generators usually don't suffer fuel system problems associated with evaporated gasoline. The other low-usage concern is whether moisture has damaged the electrical windings and control circuitry. Run the generator for 45-60 minutes under a fairly heavy load (e.g. both a/c's full blast) and see what happens. If it doesn't quit, it's probably fine.

For rubber, old is pretty much old unless exposed to direct sun. Rubber will crack in extreme cold, but the coach probably didn't move in extreme conditions either.

Thanks Gary! Great info.
I still can't get newmar or Freightliner to give me straight answers on the tire thing - I still don't know if having 255/80s is a safety risk, if it pertained to ALL 2000 DSDPs, or if maybe this one is ok. If a tire dealer put 255s on it three years ago, shouldn't they have seen it needed 275s?

And if I buy it and need a new set of tires, it's out of my price range. Can I get away with just replacing the fronts with 275s and leaving the 255s in the rear, or is that just a terrible idea? Hate to walk away from a great rig and hate to buy all new tires when the current ones don't seem definitively bad.

The only way to tell if the 255s are OK is to weigh the MH and see what the weight is on that front axle.  That will tell you what is what and you can make an intelligent decision.  Anything else is just a guess.