Fleetwood Storm 28F -Low Quality

[Gmoney]

Unfortunate purchase - my husband & I have been RV'ers for many years. When we became empty nesters we scraped together our money to buy a brand new RV. We chose the Fleetwood Storm 28F for the awesome floor plan.

Unfortunately, the overall quality of the coach is low. We have owned our Storm for one year & the poor thing is just falling apart: slide outs leak, kitchen sink is rusted, hot water heater quit working, shower floor is broken, rubber slide seals are torn, entry door is not set properly in coach & makes terrible noise while going down road - when we get to destination we can hardly get out, driver & passenger windows do not sit tightly in groove & rattle when driving (loudly), screws on outside of coach are rusted, shelves in cabinets fall down when driving because they are cut too short, and the cherry on top .... The generator does not work! I could go on and on.

The dealer & manufacturer say .... There is no fix! So disappointed. Just wanted to warn my fellow RV'ers!

If you want an RV that is in the shop more than at the campground, this is the one for you.

[desertdeals69]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience with a low end coach. A lot of the entry level coaches don't last too long, so my recommendation is to get a late model middle or high end coach for not much more.

[bebop]

I bought a new Class A in 2004 and it spent the first two years in the shops with 2 or 3 trips back to the factory and once the factory driver drug the entire left side against a concrete pillar in the gas station while fueling it to take it back to the factory. Slideouts had to be removed and reworked, hole in body was 3/4 inch out of square. But....................after 144 warranty items they fixed or paid my shop to fix everything so I kept the faith and today have a good motorhome with out any problems.

[greybeard101]

Sounds like a Lemon Law contender. You in the US have that sort of consumer protection. How effective it is I cannot say...but at least you have it. Have you looked into that? Here in Canada there is no such protection. My 2012 Holiday Rambler Vacationer was in the shop for the better part of the Spring/Summer and Fall season ( roughly 7 months ) of 2012 but I must say that the problems you are having sound absolutely disgraceful. After having the opportunity to speak with the regional sales manager at a local RV show and writing to the Navistar RV Division President they arranged for it to go to the Monaco Coburg service center and they did an admirable job at attempting to fix the problems we had been plagued with. There are still some issues that need addressing so it's going back in a couple of weeks. The manufacturer's response to your unacceptable issues makes me wonder how any future problems with our motorhome will be handled now that Holiday Rambler/ Monaco are owned by the same company that owns Fleetwood.

Seriously, no consumer should have to contend with the terrible quality you have described. I don't care if it's entry level or luxury coach. One thing I did note when at the Coburg center for 10 days is that it doesn't matter how much you paid for your coach, they all have similar problems to one degree or another. Ours was the only class A gas there for the most part, the rest being DP's many of which were in the half million dollar range when new. I do agree with DesertDeals69 though. If I had to do it again I would look at a good pre-owned higher end coach. My wife however didn't like the "country", frilly look of most of the interiors on the older coaches whereas our Vacationer has a timeless decor that I feel confident will remain up to date for a long time. ...... probably longer than the coach

[Gmoney]

Thank you all for sharing your stories. I will continue to pursue the manufacturer for reconciliation. We are so careful to keep this RV in tip-top shape it is quite a bummer that it seems to be a loosing battle!

We are hoping by year two that we may in fact have all the issues resolved!

[five]

Stay after Fleetwood. They are very good accommodating customers, although sometimes it takes a while to get to the correct person.

[desertdeals69]

There is no RV that will be 100 percent. Even when you think everything is fine something else will need attention. We have motorhomed since 1976 and over 300,000 miles and we have never returned home without something needing fixing. It maybe something small or more major, but its always something.

[DENNISJSTEWART]

All of my research ( over two years) pointed me to one brand. Tiffin. I purchased a 2006 Allegro Bay and had a few problems that were addressed and fixed for under 2K. For a 7 Year old coach it is tight and I am very impressed with the Tiffin Quality.

[Monkeyrun]

I purchased a 1999 Tiffin, well used I might add, and have been working on her, fixing things as I come across them. If I had purchased new and had "issues" I would be extremely upset. It sounds as though many substandard materials have been used in the construction of your motorhome. Perhaps you can find a contact within the hierarchy at Fleetwood and send some pictures of your problem hardware. The wiring stuff certainly is fixable, I would find another dealer.

[gfarmcafe]

My wife and I purchased a 1997 Beaver Marquis last winter. It had some issues that we had to deal with, but overall, it's been a very good coach. I too have been constantly fixing and checking things, but nothing major. Seems like the more we use it, the "kinks" seem to work themselves out, and everything works as they should. These things are like planes - they have to be constantly inspected and maintained. Hopefully, you will get things worked out and can enjoy it.

[andrewsilver]

Gmoney, we have a 2012 Fleetwood Storm 32BH (fell in love with the floorplan as well) and have also had many issues - from minor to major including being stranded twice. I'm afraid it's the reality of an entry-level coach in today's highly competitive market space.

This is our third Class A, but our first new one. Of the 17000 miles on our coach, probably 5000 of them have been for transport to/from the factory, repair centers, etc. I keep feeling that I'm close to the end of the major repairs of a new coach, so I'm hanging on. However the ownership experience thusfar has been a significant stress on our family.

I have been working with a Dispute Resolution Administrator at Allied Recreation Group (owners of Fleetwood) for close to two years - and he has been very helpful. To their credit they have continued to arrange and cover the repairs well beyond the 1 year warranty (though remember your structural warranty is for 3 years, as is the Ford chassis). However the hassles and inconveniences for us have been significant - including time without the coach, vacations cancelled, and every time repairs are completed the coach seems to come back with more issues. Certain minor issues we've simply had to come to terms with and move on.

So rest assured you're not alone - and hopefully there is light at the end of this long tunnel for us all...

[Tony28]

I just bought a 2012 Fleetwood Storm 28MS and you guys are scarring me. It has 2000 miles of which I put 500 on. I'm in for some problems, or is this just a few? I expect to travel with my son who is 8 during the summer break for about a month. I'm hesitant now after reading this blog.

Is there anyone satisfied with their Storm?

[Shopper]

Sorry to hear of your bad purchase and hope you come to a decent resolution.

Our family is in the market for a MoHo and were are trying to figure out what the best predictor is that a particular unit will be a lemon.

We Googled "Bad Motorhome" and the first 17 pictures looked very similar to the image we found for your model, the Fleetwood 28F.

It seems that a person could draw 3 possible conclusions if this kind of motorhome is the poster child for lemons:

1) Stay away from entry level models

2) Stay away from Fleetwood

3) Stay away from Class A's

[kingfr]

Sorry to hear of your bad purchase and hope you come to a decent resolution.

Our family is in the market for a MoHo and were are trying to figure out what the best predictor is that a particular unit will be a lemon.

We Googled "Bad Motorhome" and the first 17 pictures looked very similar to the image we found for your model, the Fleetwood 28F.

It seems that a person could draw 3 possible conclusions if this kind of motorhome is the poster child for lemons:

1) Stay away from entry level models Yes

2) Stay away from Fleetwood Maybe

3) Stay away from Class A's No

[five]

Tony28...Don't forget that in these forums we talk about problems, things that need to get fixed. Somebody makes a post saying his slide won't move...a problem. But you don't hear from the thousands of other RVers whose slide is working fine...nobody gets on and makes a post, "my slide worked fine today."

[edandersson]

We have a 2014 Fleetwood Storm 28F and have put about 10,000 miles on it since Oct. 2013, making long trips over Colorado and Utah mountains and rough interstate roads. Aside from the chassis heater not being connected at delivery, this RV has performed very well. My only complaint is the generator quits running when the fuel tank hits half full versus quarter full! The floor plan delivers a lot of sleeping capacity for its size and it has full body paint as well!

[tbutler]

Considering what we put these coaches through, it is a wonder they hold together at all! Just driving down the road is like an earthquake! It is a vehicle and a house and you have the problems of both.

We're in the shop right now and will be here for a while. I fix the things I can and hire some to fix the rest. Right now they are working on the rest. We have what I consider a high quality coach. It is not without problems but we have nowhere near the problems the OP listed. With 130,000 miles over 11 years, our coach has performed pretty well. We've had days in the shop, some normal maintenance, others fixing things that I wish hadn't broken but they did.

I turned over a list of 17 items to the shop today. They've already fixed two of my top four before lunch time. We had a DC lighting system failure which knocked out all the 12V lights in the front half of the coach. When I went to view the progress the cabinets were all disassembled, wires were hanging out everywhere but the tech had found the problem. All the lights are working and he consulted with me as to how to route the wire patch to permanently fix the problem. It's going to cost me a bundle but I'd have never known where to begin to look to find the problem. One of the drivers seat arms fell off last year. I tried my own fix and it didn't work so we'll have the techs take a look at it and make recommendations. The existing seats, driver and passenger are showing their age so we may replace both. The list goes on. The long and short of this is even a quality coach is going to need upkeep and it won't be cheap.

If you are looking at coaches, look at the full spectrum of coaches. Attend an FMCA National Convention where you can walk from one coach to another and make many comparisons in a single day. It is easy to see the quality differences in coaches. Look at plumbing fixtures, open and close drawers and cabinets. You can test drive coaches, see what they sound like and how they handle. When we did this at a recent rally, it was easy to see the vast range of quality. Quality has a price tag and if you want a motor home with the best furniture and best quality cabinets you will have to pay for it.

By the way, the factory service center here in Coburg, Oregon is now the Allied Recreation Group facility and they are fixing Fleetwoods, American Coaches, Monaco and Holiday Rambler products. The techs here are the same people who built many of these coaches and they can tackle the really tough problems and solve them for you.

[manholt]

OP has more problems than I have ever heard off! Had a 73' Landau that left the highway on delivery, went down a 200' embankment and caught fire. Was taken back to factory and rebuilt and it lived for 11 years, until we traded for a used 81' Apollo 3000 in 83'! Don't think yours is a fix! Talk to an Atty. about the Lemon law.

Note for edandersson. If yours is a 28', how did you get into a 30'+ RV park in Creed CO. I read your post!

Carl C.

[alltooledup]

We bought a new Thor class C in 2011. We had many issues including a non working water heater and the coach was in the shop for months. Items were not repaired when we got it back. We complained to Thor and they sent us to another shop. Everything was fixed and we had no other trouble other than the gen would sometimes not start from the panel inside. It was an intermittent problem. One of the tabs that hold the spade connector into its insulation had bent and the spade was not contacting the switch. It was out of warranty by then so I fixed it myself. Need less to say motor home problems can take the joy out of this hobby.

If my memory serves me right the federal lemon law does not apply to motor homes just automobiles. I was considering that avenue before Thor sent me to a dealer that actually would fix things.So from my experience the place where you buy your coach is important for the reliability of their service department.

Some have recommended buying a used coach from a premium manufacturer. We did trade in our C on a class A but many do look down on the brand we bought as not being premium. As motor homes are essentially custom built from purchased components and the flyers always state that specifications are subject to change coaches of the same model could perform differently due to different components. The windows and doors, water heaters, refrigerators, slide out mechanisms, leveling jacks, generator, charger maintainer, and much more are all made by someone other than the manufacturer of the coach. The coach chassis might be outsourced. Now comes the interesting part who ever made the component has to approve the warranty work so there might be a little or a lot of time lost in getting approval for repairs. This last item was the explanation for the coach being tied up for a month. It was summer maybe they put the paying customers to the head of the cue thinking I did not need the coach as I am local.

I agree with those that say buy older and get a quality brand. My observation is that an A is higher quality than a C but I must confess I did not consider the ultra premium Super B a C motorhomes due to their price point. When we bought in 2011 you couldn't touch a Class A for less than $100,000 now 2015 C&A are equal in price. So far I am delighted with the fit and finish of our new old 2006 Damon Astoria. The way they did the mechanical and electrical systems looks to be workman like, and they seem to have made a good effort to balance the weight with the gen, propane and fuel, leveling hydraulics mounted in the front. The fuel and propane are inside the frame so that appears to be a plus for safety. There is some wind noise from the driverside window but we can speak in a normal voice and hear what is said which is very different from our class C.

The original poster was having lots of trouble with Fleetwood but my cousin just bought a 40' Fleetwood and has had almost no problems. He had a list of small items and made an appointment to have them fixed at the Decatur In. factory while he was here and it all worked out great. Here is a link to some bloggers that are partnering in some way with Fleetwood. They used to blog from a HR FED. http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/gonewiththewynns/. I thought when they were first negotiating with Fleetwood it was a gasser but now they are showing a 33" DP. So it is not the same beast as the OP in this topic. Earlier gone with the Wynns blog posts show the same couple showing off their HR. So it is fun to watch a starry eyed just in love Motor homer talking about their new coach.

Sorry for rambling on an old topic but thought my ideas might be helpful to others than the original poster who seems to have moved on and not closed the topic.

[epstep]

I can add another misfortune as well. I had purchased a Thor ACE 30.1 (2015) We loved the floor plan and at first it was what we wanted

Its a entry level Class A, now I know what that really means, a waste of money. Hopefully my Fleetwood Southwind will do better.

[manholt]

epstep,

Welcome to the forum.

I had a 2006 Southwind for about 18 months and was very happy with it. Only reason I traded it for a 40' DP, is that back then I had to pull a big trailer full of parade funny cars (Shriners International) and the gas rig just could not do it!

Good travels.

Carl

[manholt]

epstep, welcome to the forum.

I had a 2006 Southwind for about 18 months and was very happy with it. Only reason I traded it for a 40' DP, is that back then I had to pull a big trailer full of parade funny cars (Shriners International) and the gas rig just could not do it!

Good travels.

Carl

[epstep]

Thanks for the input on the Southwind, hope this is the one.

[steve407]

Our first Class A was a 2015 Storm 32H bunk house. Bought it brand new. We put just over 6000 miles on it and (negative equity and all) just traded it in for 2012 Diesel Pusher. What a difference! The Storm has many problems right from the git-go. Awning, generator, shower leak, window leaks, etc.etc. Then to top it off some of the design work that Fleetwood did was just unbelievable.

Its those little things you don't think of when you are first looking at a new MH and you've never had one before. For example: you can't raise the basement door all the way up unless you disconnect the city water because the hose is in the way. The rearview camera: it's down too low and at and angle that the driver can't see it without completely leaning over and taking your eyes off the road. THAT was fun on my first run through Chicago rush hour traffic with a car on a tow dolly. Just crazy stuff that whoever did the design work obviously never has used a MH.

Now I've hear it before, but yep: Buy your second motorhome first!!!

[modemem]

When I retired 5yrs ago we decided to look at motorhomes. Went to five different dealers in the Cincinnati/Dayton areas to look for a "good" one at a "cheap" price. We bought our one owner 1997 Rexhall Vision V-29 for less than 20G's with 34,000 miles on it and I must be honest we love it. Sure when we take a walk thru the campgrounds we are in awe of the big beautiful coaches all around us but we soon come back to earth and enjoy our Vision. I have put about 6g's in it (tow bar, supplemental brake, steering stabilizer, new brake lines etc) but everything works, even the dash air and we have towed the Jeep from KY to Virginia Beach via I-64 and travel from KY to N.C. yearly again over the mountains of W. VA. with no problem. Trips to Gatlinburg are also no problem. So it just goes to show there are some good buys out there if you're lucky. Oh and thanks to Rexhall using welds instead of bolts for the frame structure we have some squeaks but not as many as you would expect in an older motorhome.