Winnebago is recalling certain recreational vehicles equipped with 1200-series norcold refrigerators. The population of refrigerators being addressed contains either a sensing algorithm or thermal switch to shut off power to the refrigerator when high...
1994-2011 · 17 model years
Winnebago Chieftain Problems by year
Owners have filed 22 complaints about the Winnebago Chieftain across 17 model years, and it has 10 recalls. The 1999 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (13). The most reported problem area is the body, doors & structure, followed by the equipment & accessories.
- Complaints
- 22
- Recalls
- 10
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 1
- Deaths
- 0
Chieftain complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common Chieftain problems
Winnebago Chieftain recalls 10
Winnebago is recalling 1,547 model year 2001-2003 recreational vehicles equipped with norcold model 1200lrim refrigerators, manufactured from march 1, 2001 to december 31, 2002, with serial numbers between 1273701 and 1536607, non-consecutively. A fatigue...
Winnebago is recalling my 1999-2002 ultimate advantage, ultimate freedom, my 1999-2001 chieftain, my 2000-2001 brave, my 2001 journey my 2000 minnie winnie, my 2000-2002 itasca horizon, my 1999 suncruiser, my 2001 sunflyer, and my 2000 sunrise motor homes...
On certain motor homes built on a 20,700 gvwr or greater workhorse chassis, there may not be sufficient clearance in the area where the fuel line crosses the frame cross member.
Certain seat belt buckles on some motor homes fail to conform to the load requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "Seat belt assemblies."
Certain motor homes equipped with norcold refrigerator cooling units model numbers 442, 443, 452, ev452, 453, 462, ev462, 463, ev463, 482, ev482, 483, ev483, 874, and 875. These refrigerators can experience a break down in a rubber seal within the gas valve...
Vehicle description: class a motor homes equipped with safety belt assemblies built by am-safe. On some seat belts, the buckle and connector may unlatch during a collision.
Vehicle description: class a motor homes equipped with safety belt assemblies built by am-safe. On some seat belts, the buckle and connector may unlatch during a collision.
Vehicle description: motor homes. A liquid propane (lp) hose was installed in the range burner box. The elevated temperature the hose is exposed to inside this box can prematurely age the hose causing a possible lp leak.
The spare tire carrier hoist components can become loose while traveling and allow the spare tire to move from its stored position to the road surface.
Latest Chieftain complaints
We just purchased this motorhome & both front seat belt mountings were taped up with duct tape. We were researching how to replace them & we came across the recall notifications on the seat belts for our model. We are wondering how to find out if our motorhome was affected & if so, has the issue been corrected. Is there a way you can see if we need to have something done or if we can just order new mountings? Thank you!! *Tr
The left side the roof came loose sitting in storage from winds of a lesser speed than if one was driving 55 mph. There has been cases where the roof on these models have came loose while driving. The roof membrane is big enough to block a following vehicles view if it were to come off in traffic. This is a common problem for this model year. It is caused by improper installation at the factory. This problem needs to be addressed before a death occurs due to this malfunctioning body part. Laws in some states are very strict in securing loads, this malfunction should be addressed by winnebago. *Tr
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6) we have a 2002 winnebago chieftain motor home and the brakes suddenly stuck or locked up. We took it to a dealer and one set of rotors were repaired under a recall and we paid for another set. We have been told that the work horse chassis for our motor home is to be or has been recalled and to date there we have been told no parts are yet available to fix the issue. We were told last year people were told to park their...
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motor homes until the parts were available. For some this has been two years. We are planning a trip cross country in our motor home in august of this year and want to know when parts will be available. Please help us. [[redacted]] *tr
June 2005 my wife and I were leaving roswell nm in our 1999 winnebago motor home when we experienced a loud popping noise. I called our roadside assistance carrier and was directed to a repair facility a short distance away. After listening to the noise and looking under the vehicle they determined it must be an exhaust manifold leak. They were unable to locate an exhaust manifold gasket locally and had to order one. We left the motor home with them and proceeded to carlsbad nm in our towed vehicle. Upon our...
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return a couple days later the mechanic was just completing the gasket replacement. When he finished, he started the engine only to discover the noise was still there. Further investigation revealed the #4 spark plug on the passenger side had blown out and also broke the coil. They were able to get a new spark plug and coil from the local ford dealer. After replacing these parts we were able to return to colorado. On july 6, 2006 we were again leaving town when approximately two miles from home we heard the familiar popping noise. I returned home and discovered the same #4 spark plug had blown out again breaking the coil. I went to the local ford dealer and purchased another spark plug and coil thinking all I needed to do was replace it. I asked the parts personnel what caused this to happen and they told me they hadn't heard of this before and didn't know what caused it. After several attempts at replacing the spark plug I called a mobile repair service to see if they could assist me. The person I talked with told me about the triton v-10 blowing spark plugs and that I would need to replace the cylinder heads at a cost of $2,000. I then called a local garage and explained my problem. They said they could try and put a helicoil in the head to fix the problem for around $220. I took the motor home to them and they were able to do the helicoil for $220 plus the spark plug and coil that I furnished. This second spark occurred at 29,600 miles. *Nm
I downloaded nhtsa campaign id number 00v246111, which refers to a defect in the steering linkage on my 1999 winnebago motor home which is built on a 1999 ford heavy duty chassis. I have contacted two local ford dealers, ford's national customer service line, ford's truck customer service line, and winnebago industries service departments. They all claim that no such problem exists, and no technical service bulletins or recalls have ever been issued. The person taking my original complaint filed by phone...
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(nhtsa odi#10160922) mis-characterized the nature of the complaint. Ford and winnebago do not claim that it doesn't apply to my particular vehicle by year or vin, rather that no such problem does or did exist on ford's heavy duty truck chassis, for 1999, 2000, or any other model years. They claim to have no knowledge of nhtsa campaign id #00v246111. Failure of the described parts would result in complete loss of steering control in a 22,000lb vehicle in which I and my family were riding, probably at highway speeds. Ford motor company and winnebago industries have refused to give any consideration to my requests for corrective action to the vehicle. Several calls to nhtsa have resulted in the advice that I file this complaint on-line, and then take it up with the manufacturer. *Nm
Dt: the contact stated while attempting to start vehicle smoke came from underneath the dashboard. The smoke was a result of fire underneath the dash. The contact was able to contain the fire before it spread throughout the vehicle. The dealer inspected the vehicle and determined there was a short in headlight switch which caused the fire. There were no prior warnings indicating a problem with the headlight switch. The dealer removed and replaced the headlight switch and the replacement corrected the problem. *Ak updated 01/11/06
Questions about the Winnebago Chieftain
Which Winnebago Chieftain years have the most problems?
Which Winnebago Chieftain years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Winnebago Chieftain problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the body, doors & structure (7), equipment & accessories (3), fuel system (2) most often.
How many recalls does the Winnebago Chieftain have?
NHTSA lists 10 recalls across all Winnebago Chieftain model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data