1986 Winnebago Chieftan 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 1986 Winnebago Chieftan, 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
- Fuel system266.7%
- Tires & wheels133.3%
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
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING A FUEL VENTING PROBLEM, THE CONSUMER HAS TAKEN TO DEALER BECAUSE OF RECALL 87V155, HOWEVER THE DEALER STATES THAT HIS VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL. *SLC
JULY 26, 1998 WAS WESTBOUND ON I-90 WAS OF STRUGIS, SD TO SEATTLE, WA WHEN A PASSING MOTORIST SIGNALED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH RV OR TOWCAR. UPON STOPPING IMMEDIATELY, EXITED VEHICLE AND STARTED VISUAL INSPECTION. HEARD A SOUND OF FUEL IGNITION FROM LEFT REAR SIDE OF VEHICLE UNDER FUEL FILL DOOR IMMEDIATELY ABOVE EXHAUST PIPE. FLAME CONSUMED VEHICLE IN ABOUT 25 MINUTES. WAS ABLE TO GET WIFE & TWO DOGS OUR AND UNHOOK TOWCAR. LOST AVERYTHING EXCEPT CLOTHES ON OUR BACKS, NO ID'S. FIRST TRIP IN VEHICLE. HEARD OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST WINNEBAGO IN LATE 80'S CONCERNING A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. ANY INFO AVAILABLE? PLEASE ADVISE WHERE TO FIND ADDITIONAL INFO. THANKS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
ON A TRIP TO PENNSYLVANIA HAD ONE TIRE START TO SEPARATE, 3 OTHERS ACTUALLY LOST THE TREAD. ALL WERE RELATIVELY NEW TIRES WITH PROBABLY LESS THAN 5000 MILES. TIRES WERE INFLATED TO 75PSI (MAX 80) AND WERE NOT OVERLOADED. ALL TREAD LOSSES WERE ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS AND AT LESS THAN POSTED SPEEDS. DAMAGE TO MOTOR HOME WAS EXTENSIVE, CAUSING HOLES IN THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE BEHIND THE TIRES. THE FINAL TREAD LOSS CAUSED A FUEL LINE TO BE RUPTURED AND WIRE BUNDLES TO BE DESTROYED AND CREATED AN ADDITIONAL SAFETY HAZARD.( DOT NUMBER: UPORB37037 TIRE SIZE: 235/85R16 )
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 .