2002 Newmar Mountain Aire: common problems

Owners of the 2002 Newmar Mountain Aire filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and equipment. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 8
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 63% of all complaints
2 Equipment 13% of all complaints
3 Seat belts 13% of all complaints
4 Structure 13% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 5 complaints (63% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Equipment: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Seat belts: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Structure: 1 complaints (13% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 8 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts1 · 13%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 13%
windows, sunroof1 · 13%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	5	1
Equipment	1	0
Seat belts	1	0
Structure	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 newmar mountain aire. While driving at approximately 65 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. As a result, the vehicle flipped to the side and rolled into an embankment. There were no injuries and a police report was filed.
Service brakes · crash · 2016-03-15 · NHTSA complaint #10849746
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 newmar mountain aire rv. The contact stated when applying pressure to the brake pedal at 35 mph, the vehicle would not stop. When a great amount of force was exerted during application, he was able to decelerate.
Service brakes · 2009-09-17 · NHTSA complaint #10284258
While driving 62 mph, he noticed smoke outside the window. He pulled over at a gas station for assistance, but no one was able to help. The current mileage was 22,152 and failure mileage was 8,000. Updated 02-01-08 the left front wheel bearing was leaking. Brake fluid was leaking from the master cylinder.
Service brakes · 2007-07-30 · NHTSA complaint #10197827
Tl contact owns a 2002 newmar mountain aire fifth wheel. The contact received a recall notice for the dometic refrigerator model # rm386). He replaced the refrigerator himself.
Equipment · 2007-05-03 · NHTSA complaint #10189669
The driver and passenger seat belts locked up when the slightest movement was made.
Seat belts · 2003-05-14 · NHTSA complaint #10019795
Right after purchase of vehicle consumer noticed shimmying at 30-55 mph. Vehicle was taken back to dealer, frame had been stretched during manufacturing of vehicle, and there were no proper shims in driveshaft carrier bearing. Vehicle has been in for repair for 30 days.
Structure · 2002-06-06 · NHTSA complaint #8011210

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20021
20031
20072
20081
20091
20101
20161

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 11,899 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 32% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Mountain Aire has 2 complaints (27 years in the data). This year has 8, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2002 Newmar Mountain Aire?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, equipment, seat belts. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (13%), smoke, burning smell, fire (13%), windows, sunroof (13%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 Newmar Mountain Aire?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2002 Newmar Mountain Aire from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2002 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.