NHTSA Complaint #10234742 — 2008 COUNTRY COACH AFFINITY

ON MAY 26,2008, WHILE DRIVING MY 2007 COUNTRY COACH AFFINITY IN FLORIDA, I HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND COOLING. THE CAUSE TURNED OUT TO BE A FAILURE OF THE SPLINES IN THE HYDRAULIC PUMP ATTACHED TO THE POWER TAKE-OFF FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THIS PUMP RUNS THE POWER STEERING, AND ANOTHER PUMP IS ATTACHED TO IT WHICH RUNDS THE ENGINE COOLING FAN. DRIVING A MOTOR HOME WITH AN 18,000 LB FRONT AXLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, TO SAY THE LEAST. IF I HAD NOT BEEN JUST ENTERING THE INTERSTATE FROM THE ON-RAMP AND ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD QUICKLY, I DON'T KNOW THAT I COULD HAVE MANAGED. CERTAINLY IF I HAD BEEN ON A WINDING ROAD, THE SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. I WAS AFRAID I WAS GOING TO BREAK THE STEERING COLUMN LINKAGES BY MANHANDLING IT SO HARD. THE SPLINES WHICH FAILED WERE SIMPLY WORN DOWN TO NOTHING BECAUSE OF THE FRETTING THEY ENDURED BEING IN A CONSTANT USE SITUATION WITH NO LUBRICATION. THE PTO MANUFACTURER TOLD ME, AFTER SOME INVESTIGATION ON MY PART, THAT THE PTO WAS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED IN A CONTINUOUS RUN SITUATION WITH THE DRY SET-UP AS IT WAS. THEY RECOMMEND A LUBRICATED SET-UP WITH EITHER GREASE CONNECTIONS TO ALLOW FREQUENT LUBRICATION OR WITH A FREE-FLOWING CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID FOR LUBRICATION CONSTANTLY. COUNTRY COACH REPAIRED THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY WITH THE EXACT SAME SET-UP. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF NUMEROUS OTHER FAILURES WITH LOW MILEAGE (MY COACH HAD ONLY ABOUT 14,000 MILES ON IT). I PERSONALLY KNOW OF AT LEAST THREE OF COUNTRY COACH OWNERS WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION WILL CONTINUE IF THEY KEEP JUST REPLACING THE SAME PARTS AND DO NOT ADDRESS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE BY CHANGING TO A LUBRICATED SYSTEM. *TR