1996 Coachmen Catalina Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1996 Coachmen Catalina, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Body & structure150.0%
- Fuel system150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE SIDING OF THE 5TH WHEEL BEGAN TO PEEL OFF AND INSULATION FLEW OUT DUE TO FLAW IN INSTALLATION BY THE MANUFACTURER. YH
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
FUEL PUMP FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS DURING STOP AND GO TRAFFIC LIGHTS. THE ENGINE WOULD QUIT AND IT WOULD BE HARD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER FIGURED IT WAS WATER IN THE GAS TANK. HE PURRED 6 CANS OF HEET INTO IT AND LATER IT STARTED FINE AND SOUNDED GREAT. CONSUMER TEST DROVE IT PUTTING 12 MILES ON IT AND CONCLUDED THAT IT SOUNDED GREAT. TWO DAYS LATER THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. THE CAMPER WAS TOWED. THE CONSUMER EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND THE SERVICE REP. RAN HIS VIN FOR RECALLS. CONSUMER LEARNED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH FORD F-53 CHASSIS FUEL PUMPS FAILING. HE ALSO STATED HIS SHOP CHANGED 6-8 MOTORHOME FUEL PUMPS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS. THE ENGINE WAS TESTED FOR PROBLEMS BUT RAN NORMAL. CONSUMER GAVE THE MECHANIC THE O.K. TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WHEN THE PART CAME IN. THE MECHANIC SHOWED HIM THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FUEL PUMPS MANUFACTURED BY FORD. THE NEW ONE WAS ABOUT TWO INCHES LONG WITH A SPRING MECHANISM THAT WOULD ALLOW THE PUMP TO BOTTOM OUT THE GAS TANK. THE OLD PUMP WAS SUSPENDED FROM THE TOP OF THE GAS TANK. HE HAD TO LOWER THE 80K GALLON TANK TO DOWN ABOUT TWO FEET TO GET THE PUMP OUT. THERE WOULD BE 35-40 GALLONS OF GAS IN THE TANK WHILE HE DID THE WORK. CONSUMER PAID THE $1000.00 DOLLAR REPAIR BILL AND RETURNED HOME (1400 MILES) WITHOUT ANOTHER ENGINE FAILURE. CONSUMER FEELS FORD SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE. CONSUMER STATED HIS ENGINE HAD JUST A LITTLE OVER 20,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. *PH
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .