NHTSA Complaint #10327321 — 2006 AIRSTREAM CLASSIC

HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKE SYSTEM UPDATE HTTP://WWW.AIRFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/F439/HYDRAULIC-DISC-BRAKE-PROBLEM-61126.HTML#POST841497 POSTED BY: ON: 04-24-2010 09:39 AM WHEN WE PULLED THE WHEEL FROM THE AXLE POSITION THAT HAD GIVEN PROBLEMS, WE WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE AN EXACT CAUSE FOR THE BRAKE ASSEMBLY NOT RELEASING PROPERLY ON ONE WHEEL. WE DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH AS, DEXTER, AND J. D. SANDERS PERSONNEL, BUT NO ONE HAD A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. TWO THINGS THAT WE DID DISCOVER WERE AS FOLLOWS: THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSES THAT RUN BETWEEN THE CALIPER ASSEMBLIES AND THE STEEL BRAKE LINES WERE BENT 90 DEGREES (+/-) AT THE POINT WHERE THE FLEXIBLE HOSE SCREWS INTO THE CALIPER ASSEMBLY. THIS BEND WAS A FORCED BEND IN THE FLEXIBLE PORTION OF THE HOSE. THE ROUTING OF THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSES WAS SUCH THAT ALL FOUR OF THE HOSES HAD SIGNIFICANT ABRASION ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE FROM RUBBING ON VARIOUS POINTS WITHIN THE FENDER WELL. ONE OF THE HOSES WAS WORN WELL DOWN INTO THE INNER BRAIDED PORTION OF THE HOSE. BASED ON MY DISCUSSIONS WITH THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS UNIT, AND HIS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ORIGINAL OWNER (WE ARE THE THIRD OWNER), THIS UNIT WOULD HAVE APPROXIMATELY 5,000 (+/-) MILES ON IT. ONE WOULD NOT EXPECT TO FIND WHAT WE DID ON A UNIT WITH THIS FEW MILES. ON 04/21/2010, WE REPLACED ALL FOUR FLEXIBLE HOSE ASSEMBLIES AND RE-ROUTED THEM IN A WAY THAT WILL ELIMINATE THE EXTERNAL CHAFFING PROBLEM. BASED ON OUR FINDINGS, ALL OWNERS OF AS TT'S WITH HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKES WOULD BE WISE TO HAVE THEIR UNITS INSPECTED FOR FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSE DAMAGE. *TR