Corroded brake lines

[Inspector]

We have a 2011 30ft. Georgetown motorhome.Brakes went out without warning leaving campground on a hill.Towed to Ford dealer in Pa.Brake lines were corroded and had to be replaced.Cost was $450 and Ford would not cover the cost since it was 2 months beyond warranty.Is anyone else having this problem?We have never driven in snow or ice since we live in Texas.We haven't taken it near salt water either.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by Inspector

We have a 2011 30ft. Georgetown motorhome.Brakes went out without warning leaving campground on a hill.Towed to Ford dealer in Pa.Brake lines were corroded and had to be replaced.Cost was $450 and Ford would not cover the cost since it was 2 months beyond warranty.Is anyone else having this problem?We have never driven in snow or ice since we live in Texas.We haven't taken it near salt water either.

Are you saying the exterior brake lines corroded from salt from the winter roads? How did they fail? Did they all start leaking?$450.. did they replace all the lines or just one?
If they had water in the the system they would corrode the interior as well as clog the lines from rust.
Is that what happened?
Can you be more specific. Thanks


This may be something we all forget about. Has anyone bleed their brakes regularly?
I guess old brake fluid and hurt the brakes like in a car.

[copsuno]

How many miles? l Have a 2011, 360 with 22,589 miles and currently in Nova Scotia and my brakes are performing well. As Iggy said, few more specifics please.

[Trempert]

Originally Posted by Inspector

We have a 2011 30ft. Georgetown motorhome.Brakes went out without warning leaving campground on a hill.Towed to Ford dealer in Pa.Brake lines were corroded and had to be replaced.Cost was $450 and Ford would not cover the cost since it was 2 months beyond warranty.Is anyone else having this problem?We have never driven in snow or ice since we live in Texas.We haven't taken it near salt water either.

Ford maintenance manual says you must replace brake fluid every two years regardless of mileage. Otherwise condensation in the brake lines will rust through. I'm guessing that since they sit for long periods the fluid does not get hot enough to burn off the moisture on a regular basis like a car does.

Makes you wonder about the Lippert hydraulic system and if it accumulates moisture. Maybe that is one cause of all the failures folks have.

[Inspector]

Thanks,i didn't realize you had to replace the fluid every 2 years.Three lines were replaced.Before we leave Pa. for Texas we are going to have all replaced.

[KyDan]

IF I had a motor home that was 2 model years old and a brake line failed like
you said- I would report it to http://www.nhtsa.gov/
The national highway traffic safety admin.
Save your old parts and take photos and document as much as possible.

IF you had flushed and re-filled your brake fluid at the 2 year mark as suggested
I believe your lines would have still failed.
You did say they failed just out of the 2 year warranty period.
The damage was already there by the time you got to 2 years!!

I had a brake line burst in an OLD pickup truck a long long time ago.
I was hauling a ton of sand in a 1/2 ton truck and it failed at a stoplight.
Thank goodness there was no cross traffic.

A 2 year old motor home should NOT have rusted brake lines especially
since you don't live in snow country!!

[Dodge Guy]

Yes they say to replace the fluid every 2 years. Except that I'm sure yours didn't rust from the inside out. I've never seen any brake lines rust from the inside. Always from the outside. I would make a call to the NHTSA. They like to know these kinds of things. And at only 2 months out of warranty the dealer could have at least done a warranty adjustment and split the bill. As the previous poster said the damage was done at the 2 year mark.

[bakken]

Originally Posted by KyDan

IF I had a motor home that was 2 model years old and a brake line failed like
you said- I would report it to Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
The national highway traffic safety admin.
Save your old parts and take photos and document as much as possible.

IF you had flushed and re-filled your brake fluid at the 2 year mark as suggested
I believe your lines would have still failed.
You did say they failed just out of the 2 year warranty period.
The damage was already there by the time you got to 2 years!!

A 2 year old motor home should NOT have rusted brake lines especially
since you don't live in snow country!!

I have to agree, and wonder if the brake lines weren't faulty?
I just sold my 30 yearold pickup that was driven in the salt and mud all of its life and nothing like that ever happened.
2 years? C'mon man!

[Iggy]

Anyway this message was very helpful as most are unaware that the book says replace fluid every 2 years. I didn't know it until I read this thread. Thanks

I will have 2 years next April and plan to have the fluid replaced. I may do it earlier because you have to account for whenit was made not your warranty time and how long it has been driven. So I guess I will have to do it in the fall or early winter.
Three quarts of Super DOT4 brake fluid and a few hours is worth the effort.

[RED Baron]

HI Iggy
Good advise will do the same when Nov. comes around best $ spend .
Iggy did you go to the Forest River to have your ROOF checked ??? I FOUND CRACKES and delamination also keep us posted please
Thanks GEORGE
2012 280ds towing a Saturn LW 200

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by RED Baron

HI Iggy
Good advise will do the same when Nov. comes around best $ spend .
Iggy did you go to the Forest River to have your ROOF checked ??? I FOUND CRACKES and delamination also keep us posted please
Thanks GEORGE
2012 280ds towing a Saturn LW 200

Didn't stop to have it checked in Elkhart. It is noted in my records there so we have nothing will happen that isn't covered in the future.

[mogman]

Which brake line corroded thru? front, rear, left, right ??? Maybe there's a problem with spray or road grit impacting the lines.

[Inspector]

The lines that were replaced were the right front and the 2 lines from the ABS Module toward the rear to the next union.(This was on the paperwork)Will be calling Lazy Days tomorrow where we bought it.

[cfsoistman]

Originally Posted by Inspector

Thanks,i didn't realize you had to replace the fluid every 2 years.Three lines were replaced.Before we leave Pa. for Texas we are going to have all replaced.

Hey Inspector, nice meeting you this past weekend at Outdoor World in Manheim PA. Hope all goes well on your trip home. Thanks for sharing the info about changing brake fluid every 2 years. I have plans to do mine in the next couple weeks before we hit the road again. Take care and be safe. Charlie

[lswartz]

I had my brakes fail on a 1998 Club Wagon from rust. I never had that problem with previous vehicles & probably will not buy Ford again. There were numerous other issues as well, but in fairness there are some that have over 200,000 miles on a similar Ford with no major problems. Maybe it was just a bad brake line to begin with.

[ResQfrog]

One thing to look at would be what month the chassis was built in. I believe the chassis might have been built in snow country then transported to Forest River. Could have had salt exposure during transit then sat for some time. Then mix in water and air and bingo rusty brake lines. See this more on vehicles that sit more than they are driven.