1998 Dutchmen Trailer 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 1998 Dutchmen Trailer, 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
- Tires & wheels266.7%
- Interior & seats133.3%
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
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DUTCHMAN EXPRESS. THE TIRES WERE COOPER DISCOVERER LOAD RANGE E, THE TIRE SIZE WAS 225/75/R16, AND THE DOT#UE1LC5M0309. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS HE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE. HE DROVE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND NOTICED THAT THE TREAD WAS SEPARATING ON THE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TIRE DEALER WHO ADVISED HIM THAT THEY WERE POSSIBLY DEFECTIVE. THE FIVE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO SEND THEM THE OLD TIRES AND THEY WOULD WORK WITH HIM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 07/27/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE TIRES FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE CONSUMER STATED THE RV ORIGINALLY CAME WITH GENERAL TIRES LOAD RANGE D WHICH HE REPLACED WITH COOPER LOAD RANGE D N 2005. UPDATED 08/01/11
THE TRAILER STARTED SWAYING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT WHILE DRIVING. DRIVER PULLED OVER, AND NOTICED THAT THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT TIRES BLEW OUT. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRES AND DRIVE TO THE DEALER. CARLISLE 235/85R16, DOT 3E0R2403. *AK THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 1998 DUTCHMEN 'FOUR WINDS' TRAVEL TRAILER WITH VIN: [XXX]. THE LIGHTS IN THE TRAILER ARE GETTING TOO HOT, IN FACT THE BULBS ARE MELTING THE PLASTIC OF THE LIGHT LENSES. I CHECKED WITH THE MFGR TO MAKE SURE THE PROPER BULBS/FIXTURES WERE PRESENT AND THEY WERE. THE MFGR SUGGESTS USING LOWER WATTAGE BULBS, BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE SINCE THE ONLY LOWER WATTAGE BULBS THAT FIT DO NOT GIVE SUFFICIENT LIGHTING. THE BULB CALLED FOR IS A TYPE 904. I FEEL IF THESE LIGHTS ARE LEFT ON THERE COULD BE A FIRE OR MELTING PLASTIC DRIPPING AND CAUSING SEVERE BURNS. THANK YOU. *NM UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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 .