2003 Newmar Mountain Aire: common problems

Owners of the 2003 Newmar Mountain Aire filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and visibility. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 10

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 60% of all complaints
2 Visibility 10% 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: 6 complaints (60% of all).
Visibility: 1 complaints (10% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 10 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire2 · 20%
brake failure1 · 10%
overheating, coolant loss1 · 10%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Service brakes	6	0	0
Visibility	1	0	0
Other	3	0	0

What owners report

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

I delivered our rv to a certified workhorse repair center to have the #51101-c brake recall addressed. The workmanship was excellent. My complaint is workhorse does not want to pay for the complete repair. Their argument is that the rv wasn't driven enough.
Service brakes · 2013-08-24 · NHTSA complaint #10537041
Tl contact owns a 2003 newmar mountain aire recreational vehicle a class. The windshield separated at the drivers upper left side. The contact took the recreational vehicle to a local glass shop who replaced the windshield three times, but the failure was not corrected.
Visibility · 2011-04-28 · NHTSA complaint #10398108
A burning smell was coming from the front of the vehicle and the brakes were beginning to grab and not release. After sitting for an hour the brakes cooled enough to drive to cummins-bridgeway, who are the local workhorse service garage.
Service brakes · 2009-09-18 · NHTSA complaint #10284499
Abs brake failure and loss of cruise control. Happened during stop and go traffic. Calipers hung up and over heated brakes burning out abs sensor. Same problem on 2002, 2001 workhorse chassis. Recall should have included 2003 as problem is the same. Many complaints about same year and same situation as mine.
Service brakes · 2008-08-13 · NHTSA complaint #10238036

When owners complained

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

20041
20051
20082
20091
20101
20112
20131
20171

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 10,921 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 30% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Mountain Aire has 2 complaints (27 years in the data). This year has 10, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2003 Newmar Mountain Aire?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, visibility. Total complaints: 10. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (20%), brake failure (10%), overheating, coolant loss (10%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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 2026-11-05.