What breaks most · 2000 to 2009 model years
Workhorse W22 problems by year
Owners have filed 323 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Workhorse W22 across model years 2000 to 2009. One year stands out: 2003 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2000, 2007 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 2003
- Fewest complaints: 2000, 2007, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 3232000 to 2009, all trims
- Worst year
- 2003113 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 221 fires · 0 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 21kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 17Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 10 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (9) | |
| 67 | 1 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (62) | |
| 113 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (106) | |
| 92 | 0 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (74) | |
| 21 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (18) | |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (7) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2003 Workhorse W22
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 94% |
106 | 1 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (electric)Brake sensors and controls | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes (electric) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 1% |
1 | 0 | — |
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.
-
Safety recall 51101-c. Brake calipers failed and burned up the entire braking and ABS system. Workhorse is refusing to pay $4,600 cash i paid to repair the damage
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 W22 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003 carries the most filings on the Workhorse W22. The 2003 alone has 113 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Workhorse W22 problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 106 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Workhorse W22 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Workhorse W22 complaints that include mileage is about 21,000 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.