2020 Fleetwood Southwind 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 2020 Fleetwood Southwind, 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
- Other / unspecified1100.0%
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
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
This “Defect” refers to the leveling system of a Class A motorhome; specifically a Southwind 35K manufactured by Fleetwood on a Ford F53 chassis. This is a gas powered, front engine motorhome. Overview: The leveling system provides a means of stabilizing the motorhome when parked by extending jacks to the ground and relies on a system of high-pressure hoses and jacks to perform this function. Two sets of hoses are used, one set extends or lowers the jacks and the other retracts or raises them. The jacks NEED to be in the retracted state in order for the motorhome to be driven safely. General: The hydraulic hose used to retract the leveling feet was incorrectly installed by the manufacturer and routed thru a hole in the front curb-side frame rail without any protection i.e. grommet. The hole was also not relieved in any way to prevent chaffing. Issue: During normal driving and use of the leveling system, the hose began to wear and eventually developed a leak spraying hydraulic fluid on the frame members and eventually producing a tell-tale puddle approximately 20” in diameter on the ground. Concern 1: As the leak intensifies, there is a distinct probability when deploying the jacks that hydraulic fluid could spray onto the hot engine and possibility igniting. Concern 2: As the leak intensifies and the pressure in the line drops below a certain threshold, the jacks could potentially “drop down” while the motorhome is in motion.
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 .