RoadVitals

1998 Thor Dutchmen

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
4
Latest Mar 17, 2004
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Thor Dutchmen, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, body & structure and suspension categories.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels250.0%
  • Body & structure125.0%
  • 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.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Tires & wheels
Filed Mar 17, 2004

I EXPERIENCED TWO TIRE BLOWOUTS WITHIN 200 MILES OF EACH OTHER WITH FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES. THE TIRE SIZE IS LT225/75R16, LOAD RANGE E. EACH TIRE HAD OVER 3/8'S OF AN INCH OF TREAD LEFT. THE MILEAGE ON THE TIRES WAS APPROXIMATELY 29,500. BOTH BLOWOUTS WERE THE INNER TIRE OF A DUAL REAR SET. THE VEHICLE INVOLVED IS A 1998 DUTCHMEN CLASS C MOTORHOME ON A FORD SUPER DUTY VAN CHASSIS. THE FIRST BLOWOUT WAS VERY EXPLOSIVE AND VIOLENT. THE EXPLOSION LIFTED THE REAR OF THE MOTORHOME AND CAUSED A MOMENT OF UNCONTROLLABLE SLIDING. THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED AT ABOUT 75 MPH. IT WAS A COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION. THIS BLOWOUT ALSO DAMAGED THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE. ON THE RETURN TRIP HOME, ABOUT 200 MILES LATER, THE OTHER INSIDE REAR TIRE BLEW. THIS BLOWOUT WAS MUCH TAMER. IT WAS A SIDEWALL SPLIT AND THE TREAD REMAINED ATTACHED. THIS BLOWOUT OCCURRED AT 65 MPH. NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE MOTORHOME OCCURRED AND MANUVERABILITY OF THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COMPROMISED. THE AIR PRESSURE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIP WAS CHECKED - 65 FRONT, 75 REAR. BEFORE RETURNING FOR HOME, THE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED AGAIN - 65 FRONT, 75 REAR. *NM

NHTSA ID
10062420
Incident
Mar 12, 2004
Mileage
29,500 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Aug 29, 2003

IN UTAH, YESTERDAY ABOUT 5:30 P.M., HEADING TOWARDS SALT LAKE CITY IN I-80, ABOUT 10 MILES OUT OF COALVILLE, UTAH, THE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4S LT225/65 R16 M/S ON THE RIGHT OUTSIDE DUALLY OF OUR 1998 CHATEAU CLASS C MOTORHOME SUFFERED A TREAD SEPARATION. THE ENTIRE TREAD CAME OFF THE TIRE. WE CALLED A TIRE STORE IN SALT LAKE THAT RECOMMENDED WE LIMP TO THE NEXT TOWN, WHICH WE DID. ABOUT 2 MILES OUT OF COALVILLE THE TIRE BLEW OUT, WE WERE GOING ABOUT 35 MPH IN THE EMERGENCY LANE, SO NOTHING MAJOR HAPPENED, OUTSIDE OF SOME DAMAGE TO THE FENDER WELL. WE HAVE 5 MORE ON THIS VEHICLE JUST LIKE THIS. THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED BEFORE SOMETHING SERIOUS HAPPENS. THIS TIRE IS A HAZARD, AND NEED TO BE RECALLED. IF THIS HAD BEEN A FRONT TIRE, WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN DEAD. IT SHOULDN'T HAVE TO COME TO THAT. ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS TIRE IS THE WORKHORSE COUNTERPART TO THE WILDERNESS TIRES THAT HAVE KILLED SO MANY ALREADY.

NHTSA ID
10036866
Incident
Aug 28, 2003
Mileage
19,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Jun 25, 2002

FRAME AND CROSS MEMBERS HAVE CRACKED. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK THE TRAILER FRAME HAS MANY CRACKS, SOME OF WHICH YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH. THE WELDS HOLDING THE TOUNGUE WERE CRACKED AND THE OTHER MAJOR CRACKS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE FRAME. THE THOR TAHOE TT 28FBSS TRAILER HAS BEEN REPAIRED. *GJ

NHTSA ID
8012617
Suspension
Filed Jul 2, 2001

REPORTING REAR SPRING HANGER ON FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER HAS BROKEN FROM FRAME DUE TO A DEFECTIVE PART, ASKING NHTSA TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER.PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID
891864
Incident
Jun 30, 2001

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Thor Dutchmen by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1999100—
1998Viewing400—
1997110—
1996010—
1995010—
1994010—
1993210—
1992110—
1991010—
1990010—
1989010—
1988010—
1987010—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.