2002 Neoplan AN440L 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 2002 Neoplan AN440L, 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
- Brakes250.0%
- Body & structure125.0%
- Engine125.0%
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
RFTA BELIEVES THE FIRE ON UNIT #326 WAS A RESULT OF AN IMPROPER BRAKE RELEASE TIED TO THE WABCO ATC SYSTEM. THE HEAT GENERATED FROM THE BRAKES RESULTED IN A TIRE FIRE THAT ENGULFED THE REAR OF THE COACH. IT APPEARS THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE TIED TO SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES AND BUS WASHING AND ITS EFFECT ON THE WABCO AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL (ATC) SYSTEM. THERE HAVE BEEN VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS REPORTED ON OTHER BUSES EQUIPPED WITH THE WABCO SYSTEM. THERE SEEMS TO BE A TENDENCY FOR THE ABS OR ATC VALVE EXHAUST PORT TO FREEZE UP DURING EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS. DURING AN ABS OR AN ATC EVENT, AIR IS NOT ALLOWED TO ESCAPE IN A NORMAL MANNER RESULTING IS DRAGGING BRAKES. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2002 RFTA RECEIVED FSRP FROM NEOPLAN TO ADDRESS SLOW RELEASE TIMES OF BRAKES ON NAPOLEON ARTICULATED BUSES EQUIPPED WITH MULTI-RELAY AND ATC VALVES. THOSE MODIFICATIONS WERE DONE BY RFTA. GEORGE FISHER, A SERVICE TECHNICIAN WITH WABCO CONTACTED ME ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THESE UNITS. I EXPLAINED TO HIM HOW WE THOUGHT THAT WE ISOLATED THE PROBLEM TO THE EXHAUST MUFFLER ON THE ATC VALVE. I REVIEWED THE FSRP HIM. ACCORDING TO GEORGE, WABCO HAD USED THAT DESIGN SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT DISCONTINUED IT BECAUSE OF THE VERY PROBLEM RFTA WAS EXPERIENCING. WABCO DETERMINED WITH THAT DESIGN THAT THE CHECK VALVE WOULD SOMETIMES STICK AND CAUSE A NON- RELEASE THAT COULD OCCUR WITH A ATC EVENT OR A SERVICE BRAKE APPLICATION. WABCOS POSITION IS THAT NEOPLANS FSRP WAS THE CAUSE OF THE NON-RELEASE THAT RFTA BELIEVES LED TO THE FIRE. RFTA HAS BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE MALFUNCTION AND HAS TEST DATA THAT FULLY SUPPORTS THIS THEORY. *JB
THE REAR BRAKES ON TWO NEOPLAN AN 460 ARTICULATED BUSES APPEARED TO APPLY FOR NO APPARENT REASON RESULTING IN TWO TIRE FIRES AND ONE FIRE THAT ENGULFED THE ENTIRE REAR OF ONE BUS. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
COWLING - AIR INTAKE VENT IS EXPOSED AND MICE CAN GET IN. NEAR EACH FENDER WHERE IT MOUNTS TO YOUR FIREWALL MICE CAN EASILY GET IN THERE. THE SCREEN HAS A WIRE FOR WIPER MOTOR THAT ALLOWS MICE TO GET IN. WHERE THE WIRE GOES THROUGH THE SCREEN THE OPENING IS TO BIG AND MICE CAN GET IN. NEEDS SOME TYPE OF INSTALLATION. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
COWLING - AIR INTAKE VENT IS EXPOSED AND MICE CAN GET IN. NEAR EACH FENDER WHERE IT MOUNTS TO YOUR FIREWALL MICE CAN EASILY GET IN THERE. THE SCREEN HAS A WIRE FOR WIPER MOTOR THAT ALLOWS MICE TO GET IN. WHERE THE WIRE GOES THROUGH THE SCREEN THE OPENING IS TO BIG AND MICE CAN GET IN. NEEDS SOME TYPE OF INSTALLATION. *NM
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 .