2004 Workhorse Chassis problems & reliability
34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Workhorse Chassis, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 26 | 76% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 6% |
| Engine | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 3% |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 3% |
| Steering | 1 | 3% |
| Tires | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 28 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 17,000 miles (middle 50% between 10,750 and 30,700 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 workhorse chassis w22. While driving 65 mph uphill, the vehicle seized and brake fluid was leaking. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage and vin were unknown.”
Electrical System · filed Sep 22, 2017
“Driving down 295@ 70 mph , engine died, lost power steering, brakes, all electrical. Dead in the water, needed to tow. I understand that this is a problem with this chassis. Apparently the ignition switch mounted on the steering column burns out because it is overloaded. Workhorse offers a fix using relay costs over…”
Steering · filed Aug 4, 2016
“Tl*the contact owns 2005 winnebago adventurer with a 2004 workhorse chassis. The contact had the calipers replaced on the workhorse chassis under a recall, but the dealer would not repair any other parts that were damaged. The failure caused the rotors to crack and break. The manufacturer stated that they do not fix…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Nov 23, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
1 manufacturer communication (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Workhorse Chassis.
As communicated previously, an issue discovered in DiagnosticLink version 8.14SP1 was fixed with the release of 8.14SP3 on August26. The issue related to incorrect parameter data being sent to the server for some…
DL8.14SP3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Workhorse Chassis has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Workhorse Chassis?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 17,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.