RoadVitals

2003 Thor Sport Utility

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.
2
Latest Mar 4, 2005
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.
1
Latest Apr 14, 2003
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 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Thor Sport Utility, most frequently naming the tires & wheels category. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year.

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 & wheels2100.0%

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

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
03V145000

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

Apr 14, 2003
79 units potentially affected
The defect: ON CERTAIN TRAVEL TRAILERS, THE WEIGHT RATING OF THE "D" RING TYPE CABLE LANYARD USED TO SUPPORT THE REAR ACCESS DOOR DURING OPENING AND CLOSING MAY BE INSUFFICIENT TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT THE DOOR.
The risk: IN THE EVENT THAT THE "D" RING FAILS, THE REAR ACCESS DOOR COULD RELEASE UNEXPECTEDLY, WHICH COULD CREATE A HAZARD TO THE PERSON LOWERING THE REAR ACCESS DOOR AND ANY BYSTANDERS.
The remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING "D" RING WITH A HIGHER WEIGHT-RATED "D" RING THAT ADEQUATELY SUPPORTS THE REAR ACCESS DOOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 22, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT THOR AT 1-570-837-1663.
THOR AMERICA, INC.View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Tires & wheels
Filed Mar 4, 2005

THE CARLISLE TIRES ST225/75R15 ON MY 2003 WANDERER R.V. ARE FAILING AROUND THE RIM. THE DEALER, WESTERN R.V. IN HANFORD, CA. ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THOR, THE TRAILER MANUFACTURER AND CARLISLE, NEITHER ARE COOPERATING WITH THIS PROBLEM. WESTERN R.V. HAS ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAVE HAD NUMEROUS BLOWOUTS WITH THESE TIRES, RE[PORTED BY THEIR CUSTOMERS. THIS INFORMATION STILL STILL REVEIVES STONEWALLING FROM CARLISLE AND THOR. A GOOGLE SEARCH OF TIRE BLOWOUT CARLISLE, REVEALED THAT THIS IS A NATION WIDE PROBLEM, WITH MANY HORROR STORIES OF FAMILIES HAVING HIGHWAY BLOWOUTS ON THEIR R.V.'S ON HIGHWAYS. ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT YET HAD A BLOWOUT, THE ENTIRE AREA WHERE THE TIRE MEETS THE RIM, HAS BEEN BEADING, SINCE MY FIRST TRIP HOME WITH THIS TRAILER. I AM VERY CONCERNED FOR TEH SAFETY OF MY VEHICLE AND THE MANUFACTURERS SEEM UNINTERESTED.*AK

NHTSA ID
10112527
Incident
Mar 3, 2005
Mileage
500 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Oct 29, 2004

TIRE FAILURE: TIRE TREAD SEPERATED FROM TIRE WHILE MOVING AT NOMINAL HIGHWAY SPEED. OTHER TIRE INCIDENT 7/18/04, SOLD AS NEW, HAD BEEN REPAIRED AT LEAST TWICE BEFORE. OTHER PROBLEM, PROPANE GAS WATER HEATER DEFECTIVE.

NHTSA ID
10097978
Incident
Sep 14, 2004
Mileage
2,000 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Thor Sport Utility by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003Viewing210—
2002210—
2001010—
2000010—
1999010—
1998010—

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.