NHTSA Complaint #11620605 — 2019 NEWMAR DUTCH STAR

The Freightliner chassis under this motorhome uses a Power Distribution Module (PDM) that is a fuse panel "block" that powers several coach items, from taillights, brake lights, engine cooling, air conditioning and several other components. The PDM intermittently fails as it can't support the amount of power it must distribute without overheating and shutting off several components as you drive. Especially dangerous is the lost of rear brake and taillights. The PDM was recalled by Freightliner and was replaced with the same item. I'm only guessing that they thought they had a bad batch and replacing it with another would solve the issue. The replacements failed and they recalled the product again. This time, they left the failed PDM in place and removed several circuits from the unit and ran them outside of the PDM with their own fuses. Again, I think the idea was to reduce how much amperage the unit had to handle. This bypass repair is still failing on some coaches, and Freightliner is refusing to cover the repair under the initial recall.