I HAVE EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF THREE BRAKES ON MY 2002 TRAVEL TRAILER. THE FAILURE WAS SEPARATION OF THE BRAKE LINING FROM THE BRAKE SHOE. AS MANUFACTURED THE LININGS ARE BONDED TO THE BRAKE SHOE. IN EACH CASE IT WAS THE LEADING SHOE THAT EXPERIENCED LINING DE-BONDING. THE FIRST FAILURE OF A RIGHT SIDE BRAKE OCCURRED ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER DELIVERY, IT WAS FOUND BECAUSE IT SMELLED VERY HOT. THE FAILURE WAS ASSUMED TO BE RANDOM IN NATURE, BOTH SHOES AT THAT ONE WHEEL POSITION WERE REPLACED. I ESTIMATE THE TRAILER HAD ABOUT 2000 MILES OF USE SINCE NEW. THE WHEEL BEARINGS HAD BEEN REPACKED ABOUT 500 MILES AND ONE MONTH BEFORE THE INCIDENT AND NO BONDING FAILURE WAS NOTED AT THAT TIME WITH ANY OF THE FOUR WHEEL/ BRAKE ASSEMBLIES. I DO NOT HAVE THE FAILED PARTS. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER ABOUT 46 MONTHS OF SERVICE. THE TOTAL MILEAGE IS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 4000 MILES OF USAGE. UPON DISASSEMBLY TO RE-PACK THE WHEEL BEARINGS BOTH LEFT BRAKES WERE FOUND TO HAVE THE LEADING LININGS SEPARATED FROM THE BRAKE SHOES. THE BRAKE SHOE LINING ASSEMBLIES WERE REPLACED AT ALL FOUR WHEEL POSITIONS AT THAT TIME. I HAVE RETAINED THE BRAKE PARTS REPLACED FOR THREE OF THE WHEEL POSITIONS, THE TWO FAILED LEFT SIDE PARTS PLUS THE ORIGINAL RIGHT SIDE PARTS THAT HAD BEEN ON THE TRAILER SINCE NEW (IT HAS NEVER FAILED). THE AXLES AND BRAKES WERE SUPPLIED BY DEXTER AND ARE 3500 POUND CAPACITY AXLES EQUIPPED WITH 10 X 2 1/4 INCH CONVENTIONAL DRUM BRAKES. WHEEL BEARINGS ARE CONVENTIONAL. BRAKE WEAR I
2002 Northwood Arctic
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension › front › shock absorber. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension › Front › Shock Absorber | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsINSIGNIFICANT THICKNESS OF THE SHOCK ABSORBER BRACKETS RESULTED IN BRACKET FAILURE WITH RELATED TIRE BLOW OUTS. CONSUMER NOTICED FRACTURED BRACKET WHILE PARKED IN A REST STOP BEFORE IT CAUSED THE LEFT FRONT TIRE TO BLOW OUT. CONSUMER HAD A CONFORMATION FORM WHERE THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT WRONG MATERIAL BRACKET WAS USED. THE BRACKET SHOULD HAVE BEEN BE 3 1/16 INCHES THICK, BUT IT WAS ONLY 1 1/8 INCHES THICK. *AK
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Other Northwood models
All Northwood models →Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.