RoadVitals

1998 Fleetwood Wilderness Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest Jul 17, 2008
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Feb 4, 1998

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Fleetwood Wilderness. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

Other / unspecified
Filed Jul 17, 2008

I HAVE A 1998 WILDERNESS 5TH WHEEL CAMPING TRAILER. THE REFRIGERATOR IN THIS UNIT IS A DOMETIC MODEL RM2652 SERIAL NO. 81303309. I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM DOMETIC INFORMING ME TO TAKE MY UNIT TO AN AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE AN UPDATE INSTALLED IN THE REFRIGERATOR TO PREVENT A FIRE. I TOOK THE UNIT TO CAMPING WORLD IN DENVER, CO AND THEY DID THE RECALL UPDATE. MY REFRIGERATOR NEVER WORKED AGAIN AFTER I RECEIVED THE UNIT BACK FROM THEM. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND A LOT OF YELLOW RESIDE IN THE BACK OF THE REFRIGERATOR AND A BURNING SMELL. I REMOVED THE REFRIGERATOR FROM THE TRAILER AND REMOVED THE COVER AND INSULATION FROM THE HEATING TUBE AND FOUND THAT THE TUBE WAS BROKEN. I HAVE CONTACTED SEVERAL RECREATION VEHICLE SUPPLIERS IN COLORADO AND WYOMING AND THEY HAVE ALL INDICATED THE SAME THING. THE HEATING TUBES ARE WEAK AND SUBJECT TO BREAKING IF BUMPED OR MOVED. THE DOMETIC RECALL REQUIRED REPAIRS TO BE MADE AROUND THE HEATING TUBE. THE DEALERS ALSO SAID THAT THESE REFRIGERATOR ARE IN GREAT DEMAND RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE IN THE HEATING TUBES. I APPEARS THAT THE DOMETIC COMPANY AND THEIR AUTHORIZED DEALERS ARE MAKING A PROFIT FROM THE SALES OF THESE UNITS THAT HAVE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE RECALL. THESE REFRIGERATORS COST OVER $1300.00 TO REPLACE. THIS IS DEFINITELY A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THE OWNERS THAT HAVE TO HAVE THESE UNITS REPLACED. IT ALSO CREATES A HEALTH HAZARD FROM THE YELLOW RESIDUE DUST THAT IS IN THE REFRIGERATOR COMPARTMENT AND FROM THE AMMONIA ODORS THE ARE RELEASED AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. I CONTACTED DOMETIC AND THEY CLAIM NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND REFUSED TO PROVIDE ME WITH ANY INFORMATION DESCRIBING WHAT WAS DONE TO MY REFRIGERATOR FOR THE RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID
10234673
Incident
Jun 5, 2008
Body & structureBrakes
Filed Sep 10, 2002
Crash reported1 injury reported1 death reported

5TH WHEEL TRAILER: THE BARGMAN 7-WAY ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR PLUG CAME LOOSE FROM ITS BARGMAN SOCKET MOUNTED IN THE WHEEL WELL OF THE OWNER'S TOW VEHICLE. AS A RESULT THE ELECTRICAL BRAKES ON THE 32 FOOT 5TH WHEEL TRAILER WERE NOT WORKING AS THE OWNER AND HIS WIFE DESCENDED THE VERY STEEP WEST SIDE OF THE TETON MOUNTAINS IN WYOMING. AS A RESULT THE BRAKES ON THE TOW VEHICLE BURNED OUT LEAVING THE ENTIRE RIG WITHOUT BRAKES CAUSING A TRAGIC ACCIDENT RESULTING IN THE EVENTUAL DEATH OF THE PASSENGER/ WIFE OF THE DRIVER. THE DRIVER WAS NOT ALERTED TO THE FACT THE BARGMAN NO. 67 PLUG HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED BECAUSE THE DRAW-TITE BRAKE CONTROL UNIT INSTALLED BY THE DEALER IN THE CAB OF THE TOW VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE AN INDICATOR LIGHT ON IT TO ADVISE THE DRIVER THAT THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT TO THE ELECTRICAL TRAILER BRAKES WAS LOST.*AK

NHTSA ID
766955
Incident
Aug 25, 1998
BrakesElectrical
Filed Sep 9, 2002
Crash reported1 death reported

"BARGMAN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR" CAME LOOSE FROM SOCKET WHILE TOWING, RESULTED IN LOSS OF BRAKES ON TRAILER, AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT WHICH RESULTED IN A FATALITY. BARGMAN IS AN ELECTRICAL CONX THAT CONNECTS TRAILER TO TOW VEHICLE.*AK

NHTSA ID
8018252
Incident
Aug 1, 1998
Other / unspecified
Filed Feb 4, 1998

DESIGN/LOCATION OF THE PROPANE GAS LINES (OUTSIDE FRAME)COULD BE DANGEROUS IF TIRE BLEW OUT.

NHTSA ID
529887

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .