HEARTLAND Complaints

The contact owns a 2017 Heartland Wilderness RV. The contact stated that the exterior LED lights caught on fire after being left on for an extended period. Neighbors alerted the owner, who discovered flames coming from the passenger’s side light assembly. The driver’s side assembly was melted. The owner disconnected the battery, and a bystander extinguished the fire with water. There was no injury sustained. The Fire Department was not notified of the issue. The contact stated that pictures of the damage were taken, and the damaged assembly was removed. The manufacturer was unreachable. The contact discovered an open recall, NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V566000 (Exterior Lighting and Electrical System); but was not notified of the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

I have videos of my immaculate 2014 3570Fifth Wheel. Went to wire a set of stabilizer jacks and this is what I found. It is not the only truss under my RV that has welding on the cross braces or web that has failed. vin number [XXX]. My welder said the bad welds started to fail and cascade along the truss. This is a disaster! We need to continue removing the under covering and inspect the rest of the frame. This should never have happened! It appears the truss was tack welded and left in an area where moisture collected on the welding and started the corrosion process prior to assembly of the RV. The 1st video shows Two broken, rusted welds on the diagonal braces. The adjacent braces are now buckling. The next step would be the fracturing of the braces at the buckle. The second video shows the aftermath of the failure process. This failure of the trusses destabilizes the frame, removes support for the floor. The damage is hidden by the protective under carriage covering and was discovered XXX Symptoms we have noticed are sinking floor, sponge floor and metal to metal squeaks when leaving or entering the RV and going over speed bumps at slow speeds. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2024 Heartland North Trail RV. The contact stated that while operating the Cook Top Range, the knob for the unused second burner was in the off position, but was flashing red. Moments later the a burning odor was present, and the flames came from the flashing burner knob. The contact used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. The fire department was called to the scene and disconnected the propane gas unit from the Cook Top. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact later became ill after using the fire extinguisher and required medical treatment. Previously, while using the oven, the glass from the oven door became unsecured and fell out. Also, the bed dinette unit had fallen onto the foot of the guest, causing a fracture to the right toe, which required medical treatment, and the RV had several water leaks from the outdoor shower and kitchen area. The contact was concerned that mold may have developed inside the RV due to the water leaks. The cause of the failures was not yet determined or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified. The contact was later informed of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V236000(EQUIPMENT). The contact indicated that the RV cooktop had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 50.

We were driving north on [XXX] from Albuquerque to Aztec, NM driving between 65 and 70 mph. There was no debris in the road and the tire on the passenger rear axle blew out. The tread separation tore up the side skirt and trim. I checked the tire pressure on the other 5 tires and all were inflated to the recommended PSI. Navitrac N116 HD ST235/80R16 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

3 of 4 Sendel T07 rims had cracks in the rim spokes. Yes it is available for inspection. 1 tire overheated and delaminated at highway speed and after further inspection of remaining rims replaced them before tire damage occurred. Had I not inspected the remaining rims it could have caused a major accident resulting in injury or death. I had TPMS sensors installed but due to not having it blow out there was no warnings. I just happened to see it happen in my mirror and immediately pulled off. I have sent pictures to the manufacturer and they are being reviewed. This is a MAJOR safety concern.

Checked my tires, air pressure and left for a trip and on the trip the tire blew for no reason. Nothing was hit or any reason for tire to break.

My 2022 Heartland Pioneer BH270 Travel Trailer experienced multiple electrical failures of the DC power system between October 2024 and April 2025. The converter and battery had to replaced twice. The original auto reset circuit breaker, and replacement auto reset circuit breaker, and a resettable circuit break were all replaced due to overload from the DC power system tripping the breaker. The ultimate cause of the electrical failure was found to be the wire connecting the travel trailer battery to the converter inside the unit had been installed improperly by the manufacturer. The wire has been installed around the strap for the fresh water tank. This installation improperly aligned the wire with the slide out mechanism causing the wire to be pinched each time the slide out was operated. This resulted in the wire sheathing degrading and shorting the wire. Electrical arcing occurred which melted the sheathing of the wire, fraying of the exposed wire, and corrosion of the exposed wire. This could have led to an electrical fire of the travel tailor at any moment the battery was connected and current attempting to run through the electrical system of the travel trailer.

I noticed the camper was not pulling straight pulled over a found the spring hangers for leaf springs had broken and others bent and frame was bent. The camper has a correct track system from Lippert co. And now from past problems was discontinued due to failures a video is out on you tube showing the hangers flexing in motion. I have frame damage an new hangers can not be installed by my welder to make repairs due to alignment issues an will not bolt up. Pics included Lippert has sent new hangers an gussets now but frame is bent. If they knew this why have they not ha a recall an now my camper is not repairable what do I do?

The contact owns a 2019 Heartland Wilderness Travel Trailer. The contact stated while pulling into the driveway, there was smoke coming from the hubs. The contact stated that upon inspecting the trailer, the contact noticed that the bearings and races had failed, causing the axle spindle to be damaged. A mobile independent mechanic replaced the axle assembly, the bearings, the races, and the backing plate; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, another driver alerted the contact that there was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact was able to veer to the side road. The contact's wife then noticed flames coming from the hubs. The contact extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. There was no injury sustained. A mobile independent mechanic met the contact at the scene and replaced the bearings, the races, and the backing plate. The mechanic recommended the axle replacement. The trailer was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V634000(Suspension). The trailer manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the axle manufacturer for assistance. The axle manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact back to the trailer manufacturer. The failure mileage was unknown.

Before a recent trip, I noticed that one of the wheels on my trailer had cracked. I checked the other wheels, and they appeared fine, so I replaced the damaged one at my local Les Schwab. After a four-hour drive, I discovered that three more wheels had cracked. I contacted Les Schwab, and they came out to replace all the wheels and tires. While at camp, I inspected further and found that two of the frame trusses above the axle area were broken. The welds on these trusses were poor, with rust behind them. We had to repair the trusses at camp. After some research, I found this seems to be a common issue with Lippert frames. My wife was so concerned, she refused to ride in the truck while towing the trailer. Now that I was able to get it home without anyone getting injured I'll have to inspect the entire frame.