My wife and I drove our 2003 Dutch Star motorhome with a Spartan Chassis from our home in Missouri to California a couple of weeks ago to attend a nieces wedding. We had entered the Los Angeles basin area and were driving on Northbound hwy 101 in the far right lane at 55 miles per hour. We were towing our Prius on a car dolly behind the motorhome. Without warning the coach violently veered sharply to the left and the steering wheel had no control and was locked in the straight forward orientation. I tried to turn the steering wheel to the right but it would not budge, even with the power steering. There was also a very loud squealing sound from the left front tire as we careened toward the oncoming lanes of traffic. The force of the left wheel dragging the front of the coach hard left while the right front wheel was still facing forward applied too much sideways force on the right wheel that the power steering could not overcome.
It took about 2 seconds to cross the 3 remaining Northbound lanes of heavy noontime LA traffic and all we could see out of our front windows was the oncoming traffic of the four Southbound lanes heading straight for our line of travel. We thought that we would be killed in the impact as well as many others would be injured or killed when we hit them. The coach impacted the center concrete divider at full speed at about a 45 degree angle at the left front which diverted it's path and then the rear slammed around and hit the wall. This caused our tow dolly and new Prius to whip into the concrete wall as well. The motorhome was determined to be a total loss and our insurance does not cover it for the full replacement value so we now have no motorhome due to this failure.
The California Highway patrol took the photo of the skid marks that I have attached. Note that the front right wheel remained in the straight forward orientation while the left front wheel is full left turn to the stop. Also note that the bracket that the left wheel brake air diaphragm is mounted to and is on the inside side of the wheel also impacted the concrete wall and this could only have happened if the left wheel was turned full out to the stop.
I have a CDL and have driven big rigs for over 40 years so I am not a novice. I have also logged over 300,000 miles in my various motorhomes so I know how to drive. This motorhome has never hit a large object or been in any crash before to have damaged the steering arm casting to cause it to break. I have seen a front tire blowout before and yet the driver was still able to control the rig to a stop. This coach reacted violently with absolutely no steering control- it was terrifying.
I have posted this as a warning to others that may have this same steering arm that they may want to have it inspected before something similar happens to them or worse. This heavy steering casting on the Spartan Chassis should not have broken.
It took about 2 seconds to cross the 3 remaining Northbound lanes of heavy noontime LA traffic and all we could see out of our front windows was the oncoming traffic of the four Southbound lanes heading straight for our line of travel. We thought that we would be killed in the impact as well as many others would be injured or killed when we hit them. The coach impacted the center concrete divider at full speed at about a 45 degree angle at the left front which diverted it's path and then the rear slammed around and hit the wall. This caused our tow dolly and new Prius to whip into the concrete wall as well. The motorhome was determined to be a total loss and our insurance does not cover it for the full replacement value so we now have no motorhome due to this failure.
The California Highway patrol took the photo of the skid marks that I have attached. Note that the front right wheel remained in the straight forward orientation while the left front wheel is full left turn to the stop. Also note that the bracket that the left wheel brake air diaphragm is mounted to and is on the inside side of the wheel also impacted the concrete wall and this could only have happened if the left wheel was turned full out to the stop.
I have a CDL and have driven big rigs for over 40 years so I am not a novice. I have also logged over 300,000 miles in my various motorhomes so I know how to drive. This motorhome has never hit a large object or been in any crash before to have damaged the steering arm casting to cause it to break. I have seen a front tire blowout before and yet the driver was still able to control the rig to a stop. This coach reacted violently with absolutely no steering control- it was terrifying.
I have posted this as a warning to others that may have this same steering arm that they may want to have it inspected before something similar happens to them or worse. This heavy steering casting on the Spartan Chassis should not have broken.
Attachments
-
Broken arm, steering rod, and smashed front wheen from hitting wall resized 5%.jpg23.5 KB · Views: 535
-
Broken arm resize.jpg17.7 KB · Views: 456
-
Broken Casting resize.jpg18.6 KB · Views: 371
-
resize Broken pitman arm on tie rod to left wheel showing rod.jpg21.1 KB · Views: 341
-
resize Left wheel point of impact and angle.jpg22.9 KB · Views: 309
-
Resize Left wheel support showing intial contact.jpg18.4 KB · Views: 279
-
resize Skid marks from crash.jpg82.7 KB · Views: 377