2003 National Rv Dolphin LX Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2003 National Rv Dolphin LX, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes2100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
ABS LIGHT CAME ON BRAKES GOT VERY HOT. TOOK M/H TO DEALER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO YEARS AND LESS THAN 3 THOUSAND MILES THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED.. DEALER SAYS FRONT AND REAR BRAKE ROTORS AND CALIPERS RUINED AND VEHICLE NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR
I HAVE A 2003 NATIONAL DOLPHIN MOTORHOME WITH APPROXIMATELY 7,342 MILES. I EXPERIENCED THE LEFT REAR BRAKE HEATING UP AROUND APRIL 2007 AND TOOK IT TO A WORKHORSE DEALER. THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED AND A BRAKE SENSOR WAS REPLACED ON THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. THIS MONTH, JULY 2008, WE WERE DRIVING TO A LOCAL PARK AND, WAS TOLD THAT 3 CALIPERS CEASED, AFTER WE LIMPED BACK TO THE SAME DEALER. MY WIFE AND GRANDDAUGHTER WERE WITH ME WHEN THE BRAKES TIGHTENED UP AND I COULD NOT DRIVE THE MOTORHOME ANY FASTER THAN 35MPH. THEN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND SEVERAL TIMES THE BRAKE PEDAL BOTTOMED OUT ON THE FLOOR CAUSING ME TO ALMOST REAR END SEVERAL VEHICLES. HAD A MOTORCYCLE OR PEDESTRIAN CROSSED IN FRONT OF ME THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY I COULD HAVE STOPPED. TODAY I WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $3500 TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM AND THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE "DEFECT". AFTER DOING AN INTERNET SEARCH ON WORKHORSE BRAKE PROBLEMS I'VE FOUND NUMEROUS OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED WORKHORSE TO INQUIRE WHAT COULD BE DONE AND WAS ADVISED THE FLORIDA REPRESENTATIVE, BILL O'NEAL, ONLY SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I FOUND THAT A RECALL CAME OUT IN JANUARY 2005 LISTING SEVERAL VIN NUMBERS IN 2001, 2002, AND 2003 WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT THE NUMBERS STOPPED SHORT OF MY VIN NUMBER IN 2003. THE LOCAL SERVICE DEPT MANAGER TOLD ME I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALLS. NOW I HAVE AN OUTLANDISH BILL AND THE MOTORHOME IS STUCK IN THE SHOP BECAUSE THE ROTORS AND CALIPERS BECAME TOO HOT FOR IT TO BE DRIVEN. I AM VERY ANGRY THAT THIS DEFECT WAS NOT RECALLED, I'M STUCK WITH A $3500 BILL, AND THAT I ALMOST HAD 2 ACCIDENTS WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE WORKHORSE TO RECALL MY VIN, REGARDLESS OF WARRANTY, STAND GOOD FOR THE CHARGES, AND PERMANENTLY FIX THIS DEFECT SO NO ONE IS INJURED IN THE FUTURE. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .