Recall Corner — June 2006

Ford Motor Company announced NHTSA recall 05V270000, which affects some 2004 and 2005 Ford F-Super Duty, Excursion, and E-Series vehicles equipped with 6.0-liter diesel engines built between September 29, 2003, and May 31, 2004. Some of these chassis were used to produce type C motorhomes.

Certain chassis may stall without warning while driving and may or may not restart. Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.

A Ford dealer will inspect the fuel injector control module (FICM) wire harness and upgrade or replace it. Also, if applicable, the dealer will replace the injection control pressure (ICP) sensor connector. The repair is expected to take approximately four hours. However, because of service scheduling times, the service center may need the vehicle for a longer time period.

For more information about this recall, contact Ford at (800) 392-3673. Owner notification began in July 2005.

General Motors announced two separate recalls.

The first is NHTSA recall 05V043000, which affects 2004 and 2005 Chevrolet and GMC trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans manufactured between February 2004 and September 2004. Some of these chassis were used in the production of type C motorhomes.

On certain Chevrolet chassis equipped with Bosch Hydro-Boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator may crack and separate from the Hydro-Boost assembly during normal vehicle operating conditions. If a separation were to occur while the hood of the vehicle was open, fragments from the accumulator could cause injury to people in the immediate area. The presence of a crack or fractured surface could allow hydraulic fluid to leak from the accumulator circuit of the booster assembly. The loss of fluid would cause increased steering and braking effort and a crash may occur without warning.

A General Motors dealer will inspect the Hydro-Boost assembly for functional operation and replace it if necessary. The inspection will take 20 to 40 minutes. If the hydraulic booster is damaged, it will take approximately one additional hour for it to be replaced. However, because of service scheduling times, the service center may need the vehicle for a longer time period.

Owner notification began in March 2005.

The second is NHTSA recall 05V104000, which affects 2003 through 2005 Chevrolet and GMC medium-duty conventional cab truck chassis built between August 30, 2001, and February 16, 2005. Some of these chassis were used in the production of type C motorhomes.

Certain chassis were produced with a body wiring harness that is routed in the area under the driver's feet with no protective conduit and may become damaged with repeated entering and exiting of the vehicle. If the harness is damaged, the air bag warning light may illuminate and inadvertent driver- or passenger-side air bag deployment may result while the vehicle is stationary or moving. An occupant who is too close to an inflating air bag could be seriously injured. The damaged wiring harness also may cause the roof marker lights and dome lamp to become inoperative.

A GM dealer will inspect the wiring harness for potential damage, repair or replace the harness if required, and add a protective sleeve to the harness. The repair is expected to take approximately 20 to 40 minutes. However, because of service scheduling times, the service center may need the vehicle for a longer time period.

For more information about these recalls, contact Chevrolet at (800) 630-2438 or GMC at (866) 996-9463. Owner notification began in May 2005.

Spartan Chassis Inc. has announced NHTSA recall 06V035000, which affects some 2006 Mountain Master, MG, and K2 motorhome chassis manufactured between April 5, 2005, and December 21, 2005. The potential number of chassis involved is 816.

On certain motorhomes, if the driver presses the brake pedal while the hazard switch is in the "On" position, the load of the hazard light circuit is transferred to the brake light circuit, which will overload the 15-amp brake light fuse. Should the fuse be blown, the brake lights will stop working without the driver knowing. Also, the auxiliary brake, the coolant level sensor, and the auxiliary brake’s “Brake Light Activation” cease to function, and the “Check Engine” light illuminates. Loss of brake lights could result in an accident.

An authorized Spartan dealer will relocate and control the brake light power source. The repair is expected to take approximately one hour. However, because of service scheduling times, the service center may need the vehicle for a longer time period.

For more information about this recall, contact Spartan at (800) 543-4277, option 1. Owner notification was expected to begin in February 2006.

Workhorse Custom Chassis announced NHTSA recall 04V195000, which affects some 2003 and 2004 chassis built between July 15, 2002, and May 20, 2004. The potential number of chassis involved is 30,345.

Certain chassis equipped with Actia instrument clusters fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 101, “Controls and Displays,” and No. 105, “Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems.” Incorrect software programmed into the instrument panel cluster is such that certain driver warnings are not displayed. As a result of this incorrect software, the instrument panel cluster may fail to illuminate warning lamps indicating brake system failure codes.

Dealers will test and reprogram or exchange the instrument panel cluster if necessary. The repair is expected to take less than 30 minutes if the dealer has the correct tools, or as many as 24 hours. However, because of service scheduling times, the service center may need your vehicle for a longer time period.

For more information about this recall, contact Workhorse at (877) 946-7731. Owner notification began in December 2004.