NHTSA Complaint #11421702 — 2018 NEWMAR DUTCH STAR

Shortly after departing from J&J RV Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in my vehicle, a motorhome, two yellow check-engine lights illuminated on the dashboard. I continued driving for 52 miles to my next destination, Downtown Riverside RV Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The engine ran normally, and I arrived safely. I checked the vehicle's computer system on the dashboard and located three trouble codes: 3364, 1761, and 3031. I contacted the vehicle's chassis manufacturer, Spartan Chassis in Charlotte, Michigan, and was told the codes indicated the vehicle's Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) head was defective and needed to be replaced. The gentleman told me not to drive the motorhome and to remain in a safe haven off the road, which in my case is the RV park. He said the limited number of DEF heads in Spartan's inventory are being held for customers whose engines have displayed red stop-engine lights, gone into limp mode and stranded the customers on the side of a road. Those customers receive a new DEF head by overnight mail, are back on the road within a couple days and are able to continue their normal travels. The limited inventory does not allow for customers like me who are not broken down somewhere to receive the DEF head quickly. Spartan's inventory is not anticipated to be replenished until sometime in August 2021. Therefore, if I choose to follow Spartan's recommendation, which I plan to do, I have to cancel campground reservations and summer travel plans and stay in place for at least two months. I'm on a waiting list to receive the part. This is a well-known, long-term problem on motorhomes manufactured by Spartan and other companies, and is supposedly affecting the trucking industry. It has been much discussed on online forums. Spartan's DEF head is produced by Shaw Development LLC in Bonita Springs, Florida. The problem has not been confirmed by a local dealer or independent service center. The vehicle is available for inspection.