RoadVitals

2013 Thor Motor Coach Challenger Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
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Latest Dec 23, 2019
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2013 Thor Motor Coach Challenger, 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

  • Electrical133.3%
  • Exterior lighting133.3%
  • Visibility133.3%

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

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I WISH TO REPORT A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD TO 2013 THOR CHALLENGER MODEL 37KT MOTOR HOMES. MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2013 THOR CHALLENGER MODEL 37KT MOTOR HOME IN JUNE, 2012. THE UNIT DID NOT COME WITH LED LIGHTING. I WISH TO STATE THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE FULLTIME RV'ERS. YESTERDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, MY WIFE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR SEVERAL HOURS AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE DOING PAPERWORK. THE LIGHT FIXTURE ABOVE THE TABLE HAD BEEN ON FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WE DISCOVERED A STRONG ODOR OF BURNING PLASTIC AND FOUND THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE LIGHT FIXTURE. I ALSO FOUND THAT THE GLOBES OF THIS FIXTURE WERE EXTREMELY HOT AND STARTING TO MELT. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE GLOBE. ONE OF THE PLASTIC RINGS THAT HELD A BULB HAD DISCOLORED AND MELTED. THE BULBS HAVE SINCE BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH LED BULBS. THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT INVOLVING DEFECTIVE WIRING IN OUR RV. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS IN 2013. IN LATE 2013 I STARTED DETECTING A SLIGHT ODOR OF OZONE OR SOMETHING THAT SMELLED LIKE IT WAS BURNING PLASTIC. I WOULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE. AFTERWARDS, WE STARTED HAVING THE KITCHEN/DINING ROOM CEILING LIGHTS TO FLICKER. THEY FINALLY WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I CONTACTED THOR MOTOR COACH TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. A RV REPAIR SERVICEMAN DISCOVERED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS LOCATED UNDER THE BED IN THE ELECTRIC PANEL HOUSING THE FUSES. A WIRE CONNECTOR FOR THE CEILING WIRING HAD MELTED. THE REPAIRMAN ADVISED THAT THE WIRING USED WAS NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS ON THIS CIRCUIT. HE RECOMMENDED SWITCHING TO LED LIGHTING. IN NOVEMBER OF 2014 I HAD TO REPLACE THE LIGHT FIXTURE ABOVE THE KITCHEN SINK BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL LIGHT BULB HAD GENERATED SO MUCH HEAT THAT IT MELTED THE LENS OF THE FIXTURE AND THEN QUIT WORKING ENTIRELY. I HAVE KEPT MOST OF THE COMPONENTS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND WILL MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FOR YOUR INSPECTION IF NECESSARY. *TR

NHTSA ID 10682941 · filed Feb 12, 2015

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Exterior lighting

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I WISH TO REPORT A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD TO 2013 THOR CHALLENGER MODEL 37KT MOTOR HOMES. MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2013 THOR CHALLENGER MODEL 37KT MOTOR HOME IN JUNE, 2012. THE UNIT DID NOT COME WITH LED LIGHTING. I WISH TO STATE THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE FULLTIME RV'ERS. YESTERDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, MY WIFE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR SEVERAL HOURS AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE DOING PAPERWORK. THE LIGHT FIXTURE ABOVE THE TABLE HAD BEEN ON FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WE DISCOVERED A STRONG ODOR OF BURNING PLASTIC AND FOUND THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE LIGHT FIXTURE. I ALSO FOUND THAT THE GLOBES OF THIS FIXTURE WERE EXTREMELY HOT AND STARTING TO MELT. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE GLOBE. ONE OF THE PLASTIC RINGS THAT HELD A BULB HAD DISCOLORED AND MELTED. THE BULBS HAVE SINCE BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH LED BULBS. THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT INVOLVING DEFECTIVE WIRING IN OUR RV. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS IN 2013. IN LATE 2013 I STARTED DETECTING A SLIGHT ODOR OF OZONE OR SOMETHING THAT SMELLED LIKE IT WAS BURNING PLASTIC. I WOULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE. AFTERWARDS, WE STARTED HAVING THE KITCHEN/DINING ROOM CEILING LIGHTS TO FLICKER. THEY FINALLY WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I CONTACTED THOR MOTOR COACH TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. A RV REPAIR SERVICEMAN DISCOVERED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS LOCATED UNDER THE BED IN THE ELECTRIC PANEL HOUSING THE FUSES. A WIRE CONNECTOR FOR THE CEILING WIRING HAD MELTED. THE REPAIRMAN ADVISED THAT THE WIRING USED WAS NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS ON THIS CIRCUIT. HE RECOMMENDED SWITCHING TO LED LIGHTING. IN NOVEMBER OF 2014 I HAD TO REPLACE THE LIGHT FIXTURE ABOVE THE KITCHEN SINK BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL LIGHT BULB HAD GENERATED SO MUCH HEAT THAT IT MELTED THE LENS OF THE FIXTURE AND THEN QUIT WORKING ENTIRELY. I HAVE KEPT MOST OF THE COMPONENTS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND WILL MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FOR YOUR INSPECTION IF NECESSARY. *TR

NHTSA ID 10682941 · filed Feb 12, 2015

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS SINCE I FIRST BOUGHT THIS RV. IT WILL GO PAST THE WINDSHIELD, AND NOT COME BACK UP. I HAVE TRIED TO REPAIR IT, BUT IT WORKS ITSELF LOOSE. THIS IS ALMOST ANY TIME I USE THE WIPERS. I HAVE TO READJUST THEM.

NHTSA ID 11290953 · filed Dec 23, 2019

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

Data on this page last refreshed .