Holiday Rambler Ambassador 2003
Model Ambassador made in 2003 by Holiday Rambler got 26 consumer complains there are 5 recalls as well as 3 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, service brakes, air and service brakes, hydraulic. Technical service bulletines regarding electrical system, engine and engine cooling and exterior lighting. There were some recalls concerningelectrical system, equipment and service brakes, hydraulic.
Model 2003
Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V267000 | MONACO COACH CORP. | from 10/31/2002 to 02/18/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 135 | 08/22/2003 | MFR | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | 07/28/2003 | 07/29/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain motor homes, the battery cable that is attached to the circuit breaker is routed too close to the frame of the coach. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This could result in the cable becoming worn and creating an electrical short in the 12-volt system that could damage the battery and/or circuit breaker. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will rotate the eyelet on the circuit breaker to eliminate the possibility of the cable rubbing on the frame. owner notification began august 22, 2003. owners should contact monaco at 1-800-685-6545. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Monaco recall no. r03011.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
| EQUIPMENT - RECREATIONAL VEHICLE | ||||||||||||||||
| 08V257000 | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | from 11/17/1997 to 07/15/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 8587 | 08/29/2008 | MFR | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | 06/05/2008 | 06/06/2008 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Monaco is recalling certain motor homes equipped with norcold refrigerators. a fatigue failure in the section of the cooling unit which contains the refrigerant could allow the liquid solution to slowly leak. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Extended operation of a leaking cooling unit could lead to a fire from gas which might escape. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Monaco is working with norcold to repair these refrigerators. norcold will provide thermal switch kits to owners along with the necessary forms and instructions. the recall began on august 29, 2008. owners may contact norcold at 1-800-767-9101 or monaco at 1-800-685-6545. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Monaco recall no. 08017.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | ||||||||||||||||
| 02V278000 | MONACO COACH CORP. | from 04/10/1998 to 09/03/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 8581 | 08/18/2004 | ODI | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | 10/22/2002 | 10/23/2002 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain motor homes, the brake assemblies exhibit elevated temperatures that can lead to catastrophic deterioration of the wheel end components such as bearings, races, spindles, knuckles, seals, hubs, rotors, patch bolts, calipers, brake pads, and abs sensors. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This could result in loss of control, and/or the potential for a fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect the front and rear brake calipers for corrosion and replace or rebuild the calipers as necessary. the recall began on august 18, 2004. owners should contact monaco at 1-800-685-6545. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Monaco recall no. r02175.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V038000 | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | from 02/04/2002 to 10/24/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 2156 | 03/01/2004 | MFR | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | 01/28/2004 | 02/04/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain motorhomes, the i-beam leaf imitator in the front axle suspension could crack and break due to an inadequate welding process. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The i-beams on the front axle and the panard bracket on the rear axle could crack and break causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the original i-beam. also, dealers will weld the stiffeners from the panard bar bracket to the center differential of the rear axle housing. owner notification began march 1, 2004. owners should contact monaco at 1-877-466-6226. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Monaco recall no. r03024.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | ||||||||||||||||
| 05V053000 | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | from 11/30/2001 to 10/01/2004 | V (Vehicle) | 2827 | 03/29/2005 | MFR | MONACO COACH CORPORATION | 02/14/2005 | 02/14/2005 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain class a motor homes, the spacer plate under the trailing arms had a transverse weld which creates a heat riser and cause the trailing arms to crack. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This could create rough driving conditions and damage to rear suspension system. the driver could loose control of the motorhome and a crash could occur without prior notice. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect the replace the trailing arms for cracks and replacing the trailing arms and u-bolts in the rear suspension of the motorhomes free of charge. the recall began on march 29, 2005. owners may contact monaco at 1-800-685-6545. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Monaco recall no. r04062.customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||||
| 139 | 10/03/2003 | 10005763 | Monaco coach corporation is distributing a technical service information bulletin #139 for specific 2003 class a motorhomes that require the installation of the generator spark arrestor. service bulletin and owner notification. *tt | 03/15/2004 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 124 | 08/13/2003 | 10003083 | Jb radiator inner cooler failure on aluminum radiators. *tt | 10/07/2003 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||||
| 040318 | 01/01/2004 | 10006588 | Resealing of the taillights. to include 2003 monaco socialite. *tt | 05/06/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 07/29/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Events leading to discovery of failure - failure of airbag and panhard tie arm on 2003 holiday rambler 36' ambassador diesel pusher motorhome while 500mi from home, and then second airbag punctured and replaced, along with swaying action that caused difficulty driving led to discovery of broken(complete break) trailing arm on driver side of mh. it is unknown how long the trailing arm may have been driven with crack(s). the airbag failures, along with the panhard tie rod caused by broken trailing arm. due to information received regarding 2nd failures of trailing arms that had been replaced, a new replacement set of trailing arms was purchased from source engr mfg. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | |||
| 05/13/2010 | 24368 | ||
| I have a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador on a roadmaster chassis. i have the same bosch brakes that are curently being recalled on the work horse chassis. i should be included in the work horse recall since i have the same brakes. holiday rambler whent out of business and was bought by monaco and it whent out of business also. navistar bought monaco. no one is looking at the holiday rambler brake problems that are the same as the work hourse recall. i had to have all calipers ,rodors, brake pads, and abs sensors changed due to the caliper not releasing and heating the rotors. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 05/13/2010 | 24368 | ||
| I have a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador on a roadmaster chassis. i have the same bosch brakes that are curently being recalled on the work horse chassis. i should be included in the work horse recall since i have the same brakes. holiday rambler whent out of business and was bought by monaco and it whent out of business also. navistar bought monaco. no one is looking at the holiday rambler brake problems that are the same as the work hourse recall. i had to have all calipers ,rodors, brake pads, and abs sensors changed due to the caliper not releasing and heating the rotors. | |||
| 01/28/2010 | 57870 | ||
| 2003 holiday rambler motorhome bosch brake calibers sticking. 73mm. had to change all 4 calibers. now drivers side sticking.very dangerous and expensive | |||
| 05/08/2009 | 24120 | 1 | |
| 2003 holiday rambler, ambassador, 34pst, after light stop and go traffic at highway speed the brake calipers and brake system overheat, the disk brake calipers fail to release completely overheating the front and rear passenger side brakes to the point of burning. gear oil can be smelled and the wheels are locked with the motorcoach off the ground. after cooling they relesed. nhtsa recall 02v278000 monaco r02175 applies. dealer tom raper refuses to repair. *tr | |||
| 1 | 5 | ||
| Intermittently when the brake pedal is depressed abs and service brake light illuminate on the dashboard, then the brakes lock up. driver has to pump the pedal to disengage the brakes. braking system components burned 5 times after this had occurred. the dealership replaced the entire breaking system several times, but the problem still exists.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 09/10/2004 | 3992 | 3 | 04/25/2003 |
| Abs sensor keeps on burning out. have replaced left rear 2 times, front left and right front. was told that housing unit needs to be replaced by manufacturer, called manufacturer and they said they have had no recalls on the unit. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||
| 09/12/2004 | 4000 | 5 | 10/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador. while 55 mph, the calipers would lock the brakes, which caused the wheels to overheat. in addition, the rear passenger side wheel bearings, seals, brake pads also failed. the dealer made the repair however; the abs warning light remained illuminated. the failure mileage was 4,000 and current mileage was 24,000. | |||
| 09/10/2004 | 3992 | 3 | 04/25/2003 |
| Abs sensor keeps on burning out. have replaced left rear 2 times, front left and right front. was told that housing unit needs to be replaced by manufacturer, called manufacturer and they said they have had no recalls on the unit. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - CALIPER | |||
| 09/12/2004 | 4000 | 5 | 10/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador. while 55 mph, the calipers would lock the brakes, which caused the wheels to overheat. in addition, the rear passenger side wheel bearings, seals, brake pads also failed. the dealer made the repair however; the abs warning light remained illuminated. the failure mileage was 4,000 and current mileage was 24,000. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 09/12/2004 | 4000 | 5 | 10/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador. while 55 mph, the calipers would lock the brakes, which caused the wheels to overheat. in addition, the rear passenger side wheel bearings, seals, brake pads also failed. the dealer made the repair however; the abs warning light remained illuminated. the failure mileage was 4,000 and current mileage was 24,000. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM | |||
| 09/12/2004 | 4000 | 5 | 10/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador. while 55 mph, the calipers would lock the brakes, which caused the wheels to overheat. in addition, the rear passenger side wheel bearings, seals, brake pads also failed. the dealer made the repair however; the abs warning light remained illuminated. the failure mileage was 4,000 and current mileage was 24,000. | |||
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 07/29/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Events leading to discovery of failure - failure of airbag and panhard tie arm on 2003 holiday rambler 36' ambassador diesel pusher motorhome while 500mi from home, and then second airbag punctured and replaced, along with swaying action that caused difficulty driving led to discovery of broken(complete break) trailing arm on driver side of mh. it is unknown how long the trailing arm may have been driven with crack(s). the airbag failures, along with the panhard tie rod caused by broken trailing arm. due to information received regarding 2nd failures of trailing arms that had been replaced, a new replacement set of trailing arms was purchased from source engr mfg. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2003 holiday rambler ambassador motor home. grab bar on outside of coach broke off while my husband climbed into the coach. *tr | |||
| 09/16/2007 | 42000 | 1 | |
| As owners of 2003 holiday rambler ambassador, while traveling in nova scotia canada on the freeway at 60 miles per hour the passenger side control -arm broke causing the air bag to blow, and the frame of the motorhome sat down on the axle and the axle moved back swerving the motorhome causing partial loss of control of the rig. we had it towed to anrv repair/dealership in bedford, ns. upon inspection by heavy duty mechanics, it was found the control arm was broken on the passenger side, and the drivers side control arm was cracked. with the force and the bang of the frame hitting onto the axle, the mechanics commented this probably caused dislodged wires in the inverter causing the inverter to short out. the cost to repair the airbag, 2 new control arms, inverter, and labor came to over $5000.00. we contacted a holiday rambler dealer, who submitted paperwork to hr's head office whose response was they would compensate us $337.00. this motorhome had been inspected on a recall regarding the control arms by an authorized holiday rambler dealer and the only defect found was a u-bolt, which they replaced. it would be interesting to know how many other holiday rambler motorhomes have been impacted by this same problem. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 06/06/2011 | 56000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 holiday ambassador. the contact noticed that the vehilce's trailer arm had fractured similar to nhtsa campaign id number:04v038000 ( suspension:front). the contact did not inform the dealer of the failure. the manufacturer was informed; however, did not provide any assistance. no repairs had been performed. the current and failure mileages were 56,000. bw | |||
| 9000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer received nhtsa recall 04v 038 000 concerning i-beam imitator in front axle suspension crack in march, 2004. parts were ordered on 3-15-04. as of today, parts were still unavailable. manufacturer indicated that parts were not available, and there was no date of availability. however, consumer was thirteenth on the list for repairs. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 08/04/2009 | 48307 | 1 | |
| Rear trailing arm on monaco and holiday rambler break my vehicle had previously been recalled ( 05v053000 ) in 2005 for same problem. a check of rv forums indicate many others are having the same failure. the company that is now manufacturing replacement parts indicated to me they were shipping 8 to 10 sets (they only supply parts in sets, both sides) a week. company's name is source manufacturing, elmira, or 541-935-0308. *tr | |||
| 09/16/2007 | 42000 | 1 | |
| As owners of 2003 holiday rambler ambassador, while traveling in nova scotia canada on the freeway at 60 miles per hour the passenger side control -arm broke causing the air bag to blow, and the frame of the motorhome sat down on the axle and the axle moved back swerving the motorhome causing partial loss of control of the rig. we had it towed to anrv repair/dealership in bedford, ns. upon inspection by heavy duty mechanics, it was found the control arm was broken on the passenger side, and the drivers side control arm was cracked. with the force and the bang of the frame hitting onto the axle, the mechanics commented this probably caused dislodged wires in the inverter causing the inverter to short out. the cost to repair the airbag, 2 new control arms, inverter, and labor came to over $5000.00. we contacted a holiday rambler dealer, who submitted paperwork to hr's head office whose response was they would compensate us $337.00. this motorhome had been inspected on a recall regarding the control arms by an authorized holiday rambler dealer and the only defect found was a u-bolt, which they replaced. it would be interesting to know how many other holiday rambler motorhomes have been impacted by this same problem. *tr | |||
| 09/12/2004 | 4000 | 5 | 10/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador. while 55 mph, the calipers would lock the brakes, which caused the wheels to overheat. in addition, the rear passenger side wheel bearings, seals, brake pads also failed. the dealer made the repair however; the abs warning light remained illuminated. the failure mileage was 4,000 and current mileage was 24,000. | |||
| 08/12/2005 | 30000 | 1 | 04/18/2003 |
| Dt: while driving motor home the trailing arm in the rear end snapped in half. the caller was going 65 mph, vehicle jerked the rear end to right, but the caller was able to get vehicle to the side of road. the caller said there was recall05v053000 on model built at a different plant but not this model. dealer was out of business. manufacturer said they would pay for all costs and repairs. caller was concerned about replacement parts being the same as original parts. caller said police would not stop to offer help. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||
| 08/04/2009 | 48307 | 1 | |
| Rear trailing arm on monaco and holiday rambler break my vehicle had previously been recalled ( 05v053000 ) in 2005 for same problem. a check of rv forums indicate many others are having the same failure. the company that is now manufacturing replacement parts indicated to me they were shipping 8 to 10 sets (they only supply parts in sets, both sides) a week. company's name is source manufacturing, elmira, or 541-935-0308. *tr | |||
| 04/08/2007 | 32000 | 1 | 02/11/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador. while driving 45 mph the weight of the vehicle dropped low on the right side almost as if he had a flat tire. the contact stopped the vehicle immediately and noticed that the trailer arm was broken, and the passenger side rear tire was shifted backward. the vehicle was towed to a certified monaco repair shop, who confirmed that the trailer arm broke and damaged the beauty ring by rubbing the inside of the wheel well of the rear suspension. the inner tire was damaged. the vehicle was taken to dealer by the previous owner per recall # 05v053000. the manufacturer stated that the repair was not made, but the vehicle was inspected and determined that the vehicle was operating normally. also, the manufacturer stated that because motor home was inspected they will not reimburse the contact. the current and failure mileage were 32,000. *ak | |||
| 08/12/2005 | 30000 | 1 | 04/18/2003 |
| Dt: the contact stated that the 2003 holiday rambler ambassador had the spacer plate under the trailing arm and had a transverse weld and the rear suspension broke in half. the owner was driving at 65 mph in heavy traffic when the rear suspension gave way and nearly caused the family in the motor home to crash. the driver was barely able to get the motor home to the emergency lane. when the owner had gotten the motor home to the side of the road, then the air bag suspension blew up. the owner finally was able to get the motor home to come to a complete stop. the owner then had to have the motor home towed into a truck repair shop, and they welded the right side back together, then sent the family back home in the motor home. the repair shop told the consumer that the other side was about to break also. the owner was in contact with holiday rambler and they told the consumer to drive it on home. hr did call and check and the family while driving home. hr said they would only fix the motor home and not give the family a different motor home. there was a recall on the same issue on the suspension on nhtsa # 05v053000 and monoco # r04062. the owner is highly upset that his family was in danger in this motor home. the owner wants to know why he was not informed about the recall and why his motor home was not recalled. the consumer was informed that hr in using the same trailing arms to put back into the motor home. there were no police or report. the dealer that sold the consumer the motor home is no longer in business. the repair shop owner stated that once it is replaced with the same thing he would not trust the motor home either. the name of the repair garage is r & s auto and truck spring works, bladensburg, md. hr is dening that there is a recall on the suspension on the motor home.*ak | |||
| WHEELS | |||
| 05/13/2010 | 24368 | ||
| I have a 2003 holiday rambler ambassador on a roadmaster chassis. i have the same bosch brakes that are curently being recalled on the work horse chassis. i should be included in the work horse recall since i have the same brakes. holiday rambler whent out of business and was bought by monaco and it whent out of business also. navistar bought monaco. no one is looking at the holiday rambler brake problems that are the same as the work hourse recall. i had to have all calipers ,rodors, brake pads, and abs sensors changed due to the caliper not releasing and heating the rotors. | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | HOBE SOUND | 33455 | COPLEY'S R.V. CENTER | 772-546-6416 |
| MA | SHIRLEY | 01464 | ADVENTURE WORLD | 800-295-4577 |