1996 FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND

1 recalls — 14 complaints — 2 TSBs

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

Defect Description

THE ELECTRIC WIRE USED TO POWER THE EXPANDABLE ROOM HYDRAULIC PUMP MOTOR WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A CIRCUIT BREAKER. OVERHEATING OF THE WIRE CAN OCCUR WITH INCORRECT EXPANDABLE ROOM OPERATION.

Consequence

THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE WIRE INSULATION TO MELT, CAUSING SMOKE AND POSSIBLE FIRE.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A CIRCUIT BREAKER TO THE EXPANDABLE ROOM SYSTEM PUMP MOTOR WIRE. FLEETWOOD WILL ALSO PROVIDE A VEHICLE LABEL TO IDENTIFY THE LOCATION OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER, AND WILL PROVIDE OWNER'S MANUAL LITERATURE TO IDENTIFY THE CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION.

881 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: FLEETWOOD ENT., INC.

Complaint Statistics

14 total complaints 2 deaths

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD	3
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR	1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	1
SUSPENSION:FRONT	1
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS	1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES	1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS	1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	1
POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT	1
EQUIPMENT	1

Incident date: Nov 14, 1999

MY FATHER AND HIS FRIEND BOTH DIED FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING WHILE SLEEPING IN A FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND MOTORHOME IN NOVEMBER OF 1999. CARBON MONOXIDE FROM THE ONAN GENERATOR FILLED THE MOTOR HOME WITH THE DEADLY FUMES. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN LITIGATION WITH FLEETWOOD, ONAN AND THE DEALERSHIP. INV... Read more

2 deaths

Incident date: Oct 1, 2004

FAILURE OF THE AUTOMATIC PARK BRAKE ON A CHEVY P30 CHASSIS. *AK

Incident date: Jul 12, 2003

PURCHASED A 1996 FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND 34' MOTORHOME (GM CHASSIS) FROM GIANT RV IN UPLAND AND AFTER ONLY 100 MILES OF DRIVING, BOTH DRIVER SIDE REAR WHEELS SEPARATED FROM THE AXLE. I BELIEVE THE AXLE SHAFT BROKE BUT GIANT RV WILL NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT IT. *LA

Incident date: Jul 12, 2003

Incident date: Feb 3, 2003

WINDSHIELD FALLING OUT

Incident date: Jul 1, 2002

WINDSHIELD HAS STARTED TO SEPARATE FROM SEAL AT TOP ON BOTH SIDES. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER ADDS PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR RUBBER GASKET IS NOT STAYING ATTACHED TO FIBERGLASS BODY OF MOTORHOME, CAUSING WINDSHIELD TO TIP OUT AT TOP CORNER. DEALER TOOK GLASS OUT AND RESET. CONSUMER NOTI... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 1996

MOTORHOME HAD STALLED AND STOPPED IN THE CENTER LANES OF FREEWAY,A DANGEROUS CONDITION. THANKS TO HIGHWAY POLICE AND CELL PHONE.THIS HAPPEN TWICE.*AK

Incident date: Apr 1, 1998

HEADLIGHTS GO ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY AFTER BEING ON FOR A WHILE. ALSO, DEFECT WITHIN WINDSHIELD CAUSES IT TO BECOME LOOSE FROM THE MOUNTING. REPAIRWORK DONE. MANUFACTURER AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. PROBLEMS STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

Incident date: Apr 1, 1998

DISCONNECTED RETURN HOSE ON POWER STEERING PUMP, CAUSING METALLIC NOISE, VIBRATION.

THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR.

FRONT WHEELS ALIGNED.

Incident date: Sep 1, 1995

MOTOR HOME CHASSIS TOO SMALL FOR BODY OF VEHICLE, CAUSING IT TO LOSE CONTROL EASILY. *DH

Incident date: Aug 28, 1995

STEERING WHEEL AND COLUMN; FAILURE ON THE STEERING,CAUSING THE VHEICLETO PULL TO THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT. *AK

Technical Service Bulletins — 1996 FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND

2 manufacturer communications from 2 unique bulletins. TSBs describe known problems and recommended fixes from the manufacturer.

Most Affected Components

Component	Bulletins
980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1
355100 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS	1

355100 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC. MOTOR HOME DIVISION WILL BE CONTACTING THE OWNERS OF CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES FOR THE PURPOSE OF CORRECTING THE GCWR LABEL WHICH WAS PRINTED WITH THE INCORRECT INFORMATION. *TT

980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS FOR BENDIX WASHER/DRYER. *JD

NHTSA Safety Investigations — FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

PE — Closed — Model Year: 1990

FRONT BRAKES FAIL

There is no summary currently available

PE — Closed — Model Year: 1985

CO INTRUSION

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER:THE MANUFACTURER ADVISEDTHAT THE AUXILIARY POWER UNITS (APU'S) AND THEIR EXHAUST SYSTEMS ARE ALLFACTORY INSTALLED.IN ADDITION, THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED TWO INSTANCESOF CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) ASPHYXIATION WITH THREE FATALITIES.HOWEVER,THESE WERE NOT IN THE ... SUBJECT 1985 MODEL VEHICLES BUT IN EARLIER MODELS.IT WAS DISCLOSED THAT ONE HAD BEEN AN AFTERMARKET TAILPIPE REPLACEMENTPROBLEM AND THE OTHER RELATED TO PARKING IN A SNOWBANK.ANALYSIS:A MODEL 33 UNIT IN RICHLAND, WA, WAS EXAMINED.THE INVESTI-GATOR CONFIRMED THAT THE UNIT HAD NOT BEEN MODIFIED IN ACCORDANCE WITHINSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE MANUFACTURER'S SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN(85V-138).PICTURES TAKEN SHOWED THAT THE APU EXHAUST OUTLETS FOR BOTHTHE PRODUCTION AND MODIFIED VERSIONS SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS EXPRESSED INTHE ANSI STANDARD FOR RECREATIONAL VEHICLES, CHAPTER 3, SECTION 4.3.TESTS FOR CO INTRUSION WITH THE APU IN OPERATION SHOWED OFF-SCALE (ABOVE500 PARTS PER MILLION) READINGS IN THE REAR CENTER TO LEFT REAR CORNERWHICH IS IMMEDIATELY ABOVE A TRANSVERSELY LOCATED BED.THE VEHICLECUSTODIAN WOULD PERMIT NO DISTURBANCE OF THE BED.PICTURES AND VISUALEXAMINATION OF THE UNDERBODY REVEALED THE APU TAIL PIPE TO BE CRUSHED ANDMISLOCATED INSIDE THE CORNER OF THE SKIRTING SURROUNDING THE BODY.THEVEHICLE WAS IDENTIFIED AS ONE TO WHICH THE MANUFACTURER'S RECALL APPLIED;THE ANGLED TAILPIPE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY ONE WHICH EXITS AT NINETYDEGREES FROM THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND FORWARD OF THE APU.A SECOND ISSUE CONCERNING THIS VEHICLE WAS RAISED BY THE ATTORNEY REPRE-SENTING THE DECEASED'S ESTATE.HE CLAIMED THAT IMPACT WITH A FIXEDOBJECT CAUSED THE REAR WALL TO BE SEPARATED SO THAT THE LOWER SILL OF THEREAR WINDOW COULD BE OBSERVED FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE.INFORMATION FROMTHE MANUFACTURER REVEALED THAT AN OUTER COSMETIC SKIN HAD BEEN ADDEDTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AS A BEAUTY TREATMENT.THE OBSERVED LOWERSILL WAS IN FACT PART OF THE METAL REINFORCEMENT FOR THE REAR WALL.THEMULTIPLICITY OF WITNESS MARKS ON THE UNDER SIDE OF THE BODY SKIRT INDICATESTHAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN GROUNDED MORE THAN ONCE.EXAMINATION OF THE CURBIN FRONT OF THE DECEASED'S RESIDENCE REVEALED A NUMBER OF SCRAPE MARKSRESULTING FROM CONTACT BY THE REAR OF THE MOTOR HOME.ANOTHER ISSUE CONCERNING A SOUTHWIND J MODEL WAS RAISED BY A FLORIDAATTORNEY.HE CORRECTLY POINTED OUT THAT THE DESIGNATION, J, HAD BEENOMITTED FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S SAFETY DEFECT NOTIFICATION.INQUIRY TO THEMANUFACTURER REVEALED THAT THE DESIGNATION HAD BEEN INADVERTENTLY OMITTEDFROM THE RECALL NOTICE BUT THAT ALL THE J MODELS HAD BEEN INCLUDED IN THERECALL BECAUSE THE J MODEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS WERE INCLUDED IN THELISTING USED FOR CONSUMER MAILINGS.RECOMMENDATION:CLOSE THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.===Read more

FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND — All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND across all model years (1979–2023).

119 Total Recalls

238 Total Complaints

2 Investigations

4 Reported Crashes

11 Reported Fires

2 Reported Deaths

FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND — Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2023	6	2	View
2022	5	1	View
2021	6	1	View
2020	5	3	View
2019	2	0	View
2018	4	0	View
2017	1	1	View
2016	3	2	View
2015	2	0	View
2014	3	1	View
2012	1	7	View
2011	4	0	View
2010	3	0	View
2009	1	0	View
2008	2	0	View
2007	3	3	View
2006	6	5	View
2005	4	12	View
2004	8	14	View
2003	8	24	View
2002	5	5	View
2001	4	6	View
2000	4	22	View
1999	2	17	View
1998	1	14	View
1997	2	11	View
1996 (current)	1	14
1995	0	20	View
1994	0	13	View
1993	2	6	View
1992	1	2	View
1991	1	7	View
1990	1	8	View
1989	2	3	View
1988	2	2	View
1987	2	5	View
1986	1	2	View
1985	3	1	View
1984	2	3	View
1983	2	1	View
1982	1	0	View
1981	1	0	View
1980	1	0	View
1979	1	0	View

Other FLEETWOOD Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
5TD	0	0	View
ADVANTAGE	0	0	View
ALL MODELS	0	0	View
ALTITUDE	0	0	View
AMERICAN ALLEGIANCE	0	0	View
AMERICAN COACH	0	0	View
AMERICAN DREAM	0	0	View
AMERICAN EAGLE	0	0	View

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