1997 Sportsmen 3003P 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 1997 Sportsmen 3003P, 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 & wheels250.0%
- Other / unspecified125.0%
- Suspension125.0%
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
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE 5 ELECTRA IRONMAN TRAILER TIRES MADE BY HERCULES TIRES ON MY 35FT RV. I HAVE SUFFERED 3 CATASTROPHIC BLOWOUTS - ONE ON EACH OF THE LONG TRIPS I HAVE TAKEN. EACH FAILURE HAS OCCURRED IN THE SAME MANNER - THE SOUND OF A CANNON FOLLOWED BY INSTANT FLAT. THE RESULT BEING A 8 INCH HOLE BLOWN CLEAN THROUGH THE STEEL BELTS AND TREAD OF THE TIRE. I CALLED HERCULES TIRES TODAY, AND THEY REFERRED ME TO THEIR CANADIAN DIVISION, THE FORMER MAKE OF THEIR TIRES. THEY REFUSED TO COVER ANY PORTION OF THE THREE FAILURES I'VE HAD TO DATE, AND THE TWO REMAINING TIRES, ONE OF WHICH LOOKS LIKE THE TREAD IS BEGINNING TO SEPARATE. I ALSO,STILL HAVE THE CARCASS FROM THE THIRD BLOWOUT FOR INSPECTION. THEY COMMENT WAS - THE WARRANTY PERIOD HAS EXPIRED, WITH NO CONCERN FOR SAFETY, THE POTENTIAL OF A DEFECT IN THE TIRES OR ANYTHING ELSE. AS I AM SURE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE STILL UTILIZING THESE TIRES, I CRINGE AT THE THOUGHT OF A LOADED RV, PULLED BY AN UNDERRATED VEHICLE, HAVING THESE TYPES OF UNCONTROLLED BLOWOUTS. I HAVE HAD THREE SUCH OCCURRENCES - MAY OF 2001, MARCH OF 2002, AND DECEMBER OF 2002. *NLM
FRONT RIGHT CORNER WHERE MANUFACTURER'S ID STICKER STICKER LOCATED SHOWED GROSS WEIGHT 7000LBS ON CAMPER. WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH HEARD A NOISE AND STOPPED TO SEE, SWAY BAR HAD BROKEN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED WRONG TIRES ON TRAILER FOR THAT WEIGHT. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER ABOUT STICKER,AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NEW STICKER WAS WRONG FOR GROSS WEIGHT. ALSO, STATED THAT TITLE INDICATED GROSS WEIGHT WAS 10000 LBS.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
FRONT RIGHT CORNER WHERE MANUFACTURER'S ID STICKER STICKER LOCATED SHOWED GROSS WEIGHT 7000LBS ON CAMPER. WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH HEARD A NOISE AND STOPPED TO SEE, SWAY BAR HAD BROKEN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED WRONG TIRES ON TRAILER FOR THAT WEIGHT. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER ABOUT STICKER,AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NEW STICKER WAS WRONG FOR GROSS WEIGHT. ALSO, STATED THAT TITLE INDICATED GROSS WEIGHT WAS 10000 LBS.*AK
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
FRONT RIGHT CORNER WHERE MANUFACTURER'S ID STICKER STICKER LOCATED SHOWED GROSS WEIGHT 7000LBS ON CAMPER. WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH HEARD A NOISE AND STOPPED TO SEE, SWAY BAR HAD BROKEN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED WRONG TIRES ON TRAILER FOR THAT WEIGHT. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER ABOUT STICKER,AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NEW STICKER WAS WRONG FOR GROSS WEIGHT. ALSO, STATED THAT TITLE INDICATED GROSS WEIGHT WAS 10000 LBS.*AK
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 .