COACHMEN Complaints

The contact owns a 2024 Forest River Catalina RV. The contact stated that the weight capacity information on the federal weight sticker was incorrect. The contact stated that due to the error, one of the wheels on the RV experienced a blowout. The contact stated that the sticker indicated a tire loading weight of 1432 lbs., which was lower than the correct load weight. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

The parking brake cable was too tight as described in Ford SSM-51050. We travelled 200 miles each way to an RV dealer to repair and paid out of pocket. Ford instructed us to take the vehicle to a certified repair shop to fix since there is no Ford dealer in Washington state that would work on this chassis issue. The repair shop fixed the parking brake cable and it is now in working order. I requested Ford reimburse us for this repair ($434.00) and they have ignored every request. This was an issue from the day purchased in June 2025 and we continually tried to find help to fix it. We were never informed of the SSM-51050 until I found it online after we had paid for the repair. This was an ongoing problem not one specific incident.

This is a 2023 Coachmen Pursuit Class A RV MFG by Forest River I was driving at night on I-95N in southern Georgia. Light rain. My speed was 10 mph below posted speed limit. After going over some highway bumps I was hit/bumped in the head. Next I notice my view of the road is slowly going away from the top down. I have maybe 18” remaining above the dash to see the road. This is when I notice it’s the overhead fold down bunk above the drivers seat. I pull it back and up to clear my view. Holding it as high as I can with one arm and the steering wheel with the other. I am unable to pull over because of shoulder construction or stop because of traffic. After screaming for my wife who was asleep with noise canceling headsets she comes up to the front and pushes it back into its latches. Again a few more bumps and it drops again. This happened three times before I could leave the highway at a rest stop. It took several bungees and some props to keep it up and vigilance to get to our destination. I have put some bungees and tye wraps on latches for our return trip home.

We have a 2020 F53 V8 under the 2021 Coachmen Pursuit with 25k miles on it. A few months ago, I noticed some extra engine noise midway under the rig. When I crawled under to inspect, I found the muffler had shifted aft at least an inch causing the lap joint (between Catalytic Converter and muffler) to spread enough to present a leak. One of the rubber stoppers was up against the frame and all the support hooks had traveled through there rubber holders to near full travel. I loosened up the clamp and had my beefy son pull it back forward, then retighten the clamp. After the first 100 miles it was fine. Then after the second 100 miles, it has slid back again. I will be personally retrofitting with a sleave-type lap joint clamp to keep it from separating completely. I have not had any technicians/agents/dealers look at it. The only failure indication is exhaust noise from the middle of the chassis... and then, if it slides too far, the separation of the exhaust pipe leading to likely catastrophic results when either end impact the road. There are no strike marks from debris or road hazards. I do not know why it shifted other than, it can.

Frame failure occurred bilaterally where the tongue of the travel trailer was attached to the undercarriage. Cracks were vertical and almost completely through the structural supports. This caused the I beam to buckle. Fortunately, the breaks were discovered just prior to fully separating. We had a trailer repair place examine and provide an estimate for repairs, which was $20,000. Our insurance company sent out an inspector who said that there was rust and the damage had been existing for awhile. Our claim was denied. There were no warning systems in place. Everything else on the trailer was working fine. As we were towing it, my husband thought the front of the trailer looked lower than usual. A review of the web indicates that trailer frames made by Lippert during this period were subpar.

The contact owns a 2021 Coachmen Sportscoach built on a 2021 Freightliner XC-S Chassis. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel became inoperable and turned blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Viper module had failed and needed to be replaced. The RV was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Forest River Coachman Apex. The contact stated that while hauling the RV, the contact became aware that the black trim was detached from the front window of the RV. The RV was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was the fourth time that the failure had occurred. The contact stated that the previous failure had occurred sixteen months prior, and the RV was repaired by an auto glass company. The contact stated that the front window trim was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to take the RV to an automotive glass company for the repair.

A small angle iron beam supports the bottom of the fresh water tank on this RV. The angle iron is connected to the vehicle frame on each end, but was mechanically connected to the frame with sheet metal screws rather than bolts, rivets or welds. As a result, the screw threads stripped and allowed the angle iron beam to fall. Fortunately, it broke while filling the fresh water tank and the RV was stationary. Had it fallen off while driving, the angle iron might have been thrown into a vehicle following me. This is either negligent design or manufacturing by Coachmen.

This incident happened to a 2024 Coachmen Sportscoach SRS339DS (also called model S1A339DS) motor home (RV) built on a Freightliner XCS chassis. Under the specific circumstances surrounding the actual component failure incident, no safety hazard existed--but under different circumstances, failure of the same component could result in a safety hazard with potentially catastrophic consequences. The component that failed was the chassis battery disconnect switch, which was installed on the chassis by the RV builder's (final stage manufacturer) chassis preparation division. The failed component is a BEP Marine battery switch (part number unavailable at the time of this report). The resulting condition is that there is NO power to the dashboard, display console, headlights, taillights, running lights, nor any other chassis-related system, resulting in a completely unpowered, unlighted, unmovable coach. In this case, the switch failed under light load while the vehicle was parked in my driveway. However, if the same failure had occurred while the coach was being operated on the open road, such as a freeway, in the dark, the result would be an unlighted, barely-visible, 21,000-pound stationary object in the lane of traffic, possibly resulting in a serious collision with another oncoming vehicle.

The primary component that failed is the transmission system, part of the vehicle’s powertrain, which has exhibited ongoing malfunction since the purchase of the 2021 Coachmen Mirada 35ES. The vehicle has been unsafe to drive due to this unresolved transmission issue, putting the safety of the driver and others at risk. The problem has been confirmed but not fully resolved by Peach State Ford under warranty in 2021, and the vehicle was scheduled for further inspection at Gator Ford; however, repeated delays and refusals to accept the RV have hindered timely resolution. The RV has not yet undergone a complete inspection by the manufacturer or authorized service center due to these issues, but the concern has been communicated multiple times with relevant parties. Warning symptoms related to the transmission problem have been present since the initial purchase, leading to multiple service attempts and ongoing safety concerns.