2011 Heartland Cyclone 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 2011 Heartland Cyclone, 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 / unspecified233.3%
- Tires & wheels233.3%
- Body & structure116.7%
- Suspension116.7%
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
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.
TOWMAX STR ST235/80R16 TIRES. TIRE ON LEFT SIDE REAR OF TRAILER BLOW OUT AT 45-50 MPH ON INTERSTATE I80E COLFAX CA ABOUT 1 HOUR INTO TRIP WITH TOTAL RADIAL SEPARATION CAUSING DAMAGE TO RV BODY AND RIM. TIRES HAVE ABOUT 800 MILES ON THEM SINCE NEW WITH NEW LIKE TREAD AND CHECKED PSI OF 80 PRIOR TO TRIP. SAME INSTANCE HAPPENED ABOUT 1 YEAR PRIOR TO THE RIGHT SIDE REAR TIRE ABOUT 30 MINS INTO TRIP AT ABOUT 55 MPH IN SACRAMENTO I80E AGAIN WITH TOTAL TREAD SEPARATION.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE TRAVELING NORTH FROM SAN ANTONIO, TX TO LANCASTER, PA WITH OUR 2011 HEARTLAND CYCLONE 3950 WE HAD A SEVERE BLOWOUT ON THE DOOR SIDE OF THE FIFTH WHEEL(PASSENGER SIDE OF TRUCK). THIS BLOWOUT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE REAR SIDE OF THE CYCLONE. THIS FIFTH WHEEL ONLY HAD 200 MILES OF TRAVEL TIME PRIOR TO LEAVING SAN ANTONIO. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON JULY 20, 2012 ABOUT 16 MILES FROM EMPORIA, VA. THE TIRES WERE THE ORIGINAL TIRES THAT WERE MOUNTED ON THE FIFTH WHEEL AT PURCHASE TIME. WE WERE DELAYED FOR AT LEAST 5 DAYS IN EMPORIA AND HAD TO HAVE A MOBILE REPAIRMAN COME OUT TO REMOVE SOME OF THE SHEET METAL SO THAT WE COULD CONTINUE ON OUR TRIP NORTH. WE ALSO HAD ALL SIX TIRES REPLACED BECAUSE OF OUR UNTRUST OF THE POWER KING TOWMASTER TIRES. DURING OUR TRIP NORTH WE STOPPED EVERY 4 HOURS AND AT THAT TIME I CHECKED THE AIR PRESSURE. THE TIRES WERE INFLATED TO 80 PSI SINCE THIS IS A VERY HEAVY FIFTH WHEEL (18,000 LBS GVWR). THESE TIRES SHOULD NOT BE USED ON ANY TYPE OF FIFTH WHEEL. THEY ARE DANGEROUS AND THANK GOODNESS NO ONE WAS INJURED. THERE WAS NO DEBRIS THAT WAS RUN OVER AND IT WAS A MODERATE TEMPERATURE THAT DAY (85 DEGREES). *TR
6000 MILES OF NORMAL TRAILER TOWING. NO IMPACT OR OTHER UNUSUAL ACTIVITY. DURING PARKING OF TRAILER, FOUND TIRE WITH BELT DEFORMATION AND RELATED ABNORMAL WEAR ("FLAT SPOT"). TIRE WAS OUT OF ROUND. TIRE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT, REPLACED ALL 6 TIRES DUE TO POSSIBLE/VISIBLE SIMILAR FAILURE. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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 .