NHTSA Complaint #10079222 — 1995 NEWMAR MOUNTAIN AIRE

WHILE DRIVING ALONG HIGHWAY 28, APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES SOUTH OF SALMON IDAHO, THE ENTIRE FRONT WINDSHIELD BROKE LOOSE AND ENTERED INTO THE CAB. IT WAS STOPPED BY THE TV AND STORAGE UNITS. BOTH WINDSHIELDS, DRIVER, AND PASSENGER WERE DESTROYED, AND THE CENTER SUPPORT BRACKET BUCKLED. WAS ABLE TO INSTITUTE SOME TEMPORARY REPAIRS AND BROUGHT THE VEHICLE HOME. ONCE HOME, I FIRST CONTACTED THE FACTORY, WHO ASKED ME TO TAKE IT TO THEIR DEALER AND HAVE THE OPENING OF THE WINDSHIELD MEASURED, AND TO HAVE THE DEALER FAX IT TO THEM. THEN CONTACTED THE DEALER FOR MY BRAND OF COACH,BRETZ RV IN MISSOULA, MONTANA, WHO TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM, AND THEY STATED THAT THE SOONEST THEY COULD LOOK AT THE UNIT WAS JULY 9, WHICH I AGREED. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD SEEN OTHER UNITS LIKE THIS, AND HAD, AT THAT MOMENT A BRAND NEW UNIT, WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FRONT OF THE UNIT NEEDED TO BE REFIRBISHEDR GLASSED, AND A NEW, STRONGER CUT OUT WOULD BE UTILIZED. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY PLACE TO GET THIS DONE WAS AT THE FACTORY, AND THAT THE FACTORY WOULD PAY TO PICK UP THE UNIT AND AND RETURN IT. LATER IN THE DAY, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM BOTH THE DEALER, AND SEPERATELY FROM THE FACTORY, WHO TOLD ME THAT NOT ONLY WOULD THEY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THAT THEY HAD NO INTEREST IN EVEN LOOKING AT THE PROBLEM. THE REASON THEY GAVE WAS THAT THE UNIT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND TOO OLD. THE UNIT IS A 1995 NEWMAR MOUNTAIN AIRE WITH 34,000 MILES. IT WAS MADE BY THE NEWMAR CORP. UPON HAVING THE WINDSHIELDS REPLACED, THE GLASS COMPANY TOLD ME THAT THEY SEE THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM OCCURRING QUITE REGULARLY. I BELIEVE THAT THIS STYLE OF DESIGN, WITH THE CERTAIN STRUCTURAL SUPPORT FEATURES LACKING, IS NOT ONLY A DESIGN DEFECT, BUT IS VERY DANGEROUS. I THINK IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS, THAT STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO LLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.*AK