What breaks most · 2003 to 2004 model years
Workhorse Chassis problems by year
Owners have filed 56 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Workhorse Chassis across model years 2003 to 2004. Two years stand out: 2004 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2003 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2003
- Complaints on file
- 562003 to 2004, all trims
- Worst year
- 200434 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 13 fires · 0 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 17kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 2Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (14) | |
| 34 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (26) |
What fails on the 2004 Workhorse Chassis
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 76% |
26 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
5 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 3% |
1 | 0 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Used brakes about four or five times at traffic lights, then started to smell brakes. Pulled off roadway soon as possible, right rear brake extremely hot. Waited about an hour and half for brakes to cool. Brakes fail every time driven since that first failure.
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Brakes failed, had to be towed traveling in alabama. Replaced defective master cylinder (2-3-09). Replaced rear brakes (8-13-09). Front brakes locked , smoking,had to be towed. Replaced front calipers, (2-26-10). Out of pocket cost to date $3720.75.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Workhorse Chassis years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2003 carry the most filings on the Workhorse Chassis. The 2004 alone has 34 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Workhorse Chassis problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 26 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Workhorse Chassis problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Workhorse Chassis complaints that include mileage is about 17,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.