2013 Thor Motor Coach Challenger 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 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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 .