RoadVitals

2008 Western Alpenlite

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 Jun 1, 2009
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 2008 Western Alpenlite, most frequently naming the steering and tires & wheels 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

  • Steering375.0%
  • Tires & wheels125.0%

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

Steering
Filed Jun 1, 2009

FAILURE: STEEL BRACKET CONNECTING POWER STEERING GEAR TO THE VEHICLE'S FRAME BENDS EXCESSIVELY WHENEVER OPERATING THE STEERING. OCCURRENCE: WHENEVER VEHICLE IS OPERATED. CORRECTION: NONE AT THIS TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID
10272572
Incident
Mar 14, 2009
Mileage
5,500 mi
Steering
Filed May 12, 2009

HYDRAULIC STEERING GEARBOX IS MOUNTED TO A STEEL BRACKET THAT BENDS UP AND DOWN EXCESSIVELY WHEN STEERING THE VEHICLE. THIS CONDITION OCCURS ALL THE TIME WHEN DRIVING, AND I FEAR THAT THE CONSTANT FLEXING WILL ULTIMATELY BRAKE THE BRACKET AND RENDER VEHICLE STEERING NON-OPERATIONAL WHILE DRIVING - LEADING TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10268537
Incident
May 12, 2009
Mileage
1,980 mi
Steering
Filed May 11, 2009

FAILURE: STEEL BRACKET HOLDING THE POWER STEERING BOX TO THE FRAME DEFLECTS EXCESSIVELY WHEN OPERATING THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY MOTORHOME. THIS LEADS TO STRESS CRACKING OF BRACKET WELDS, STRESS CRACKING OF THE BRACKET'S REAR MOUNTING FLANGE, AND HAS LEAD TO ONE SUBSTANTIAL BRACKET FAILURE AFFECTING STEERING SAFETY FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE: ALL THE TIME CORRECTIONS: NOTHING DEFINITIVE HAS BEEN DONE. I HAVE ADDED A PROTOTYPE RETROFIT STIFFENER BETWEEN THE STEEL BRACKET & FRAME AND AM TESTING THAT AT THIS TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID
10268409
Incident
Aug 15, 2007
Tires & wheels
Filed Apr 8, 2009

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 ALPINE LEGEND FIFTH WHEEL TRAVEL TRAILER. THE VEHICLE HAS TREDIT BCT JB 43 WINLAND TIRES, SIZE LT 235/85/R16- 14PR. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A VERY LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. SHORTLY AFTER, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE THREAD SEPARATION. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE TIRES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE TRAILER BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CAPABLE OF HOLDING THAT AMOUNT OF WEIGHT. DUE TO THE BLOW OUT, THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND METAL SUPPORTS UNDERNEATH THE TRAILER WERE DAMAGED. ALL OF THE TIRES WERE REPLACED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE BECAUSE THE DEALER STATED THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

NHTSA ID
10264482
Incident
Mar 27, 2009
Mileage
5,000 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Western Alpenlite by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2008Viewing400
2007200
2006020
2005400
2003010
2002210
2001030
2000120
1999330
1998230
1997020
1996010
1995110
1990010
1989010

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.