What Airstream Basecamp owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Airstream Basecamp safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Airstream Basecamp complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
The contact owns a 2021 Airstream Basecamp. The contact received notice of NHTSA Campaign Number:Â 22V932000 (Visibility, Equipment). The contact stated that while parked in storage, he observed the rear entry glass window was shattered but was still holding together. The contact added that when he opened the rear entry door the glass window separated and fell to the floor shattering in pieces. The contact stated that he took pictures of the failure and sent it to a dealer where they advised him the the failure was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised him to contact a dealer to have the recall repaired. The failure mileage was approximately…
The bracket holding the spare tire, which hangs underneath the travel trailer, broke. The spare tire fell onto the road while traveling.
The positive wire attaching to the outside of the battery box shorted against the mounting bolt, creating burn marks on the wire, the nut, the bolt and the insulator. This was discovered during an upgrade. It was hidden from sight by the side of the battery box and appears to have come from the factory this way. It appears that the wire spun during installation, creating a short.
The contact owns a 2020 Air Stream Base Camp. The contact stated that while hauling the trailer, the trailer was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the three-foot cord loosened and melted the plug and cord. The contact stated that as a result of the failure, the hot water heater and furnace combo experienced an electrical short. The cord lost voltage and melted a hole in the receptacle. There were no warning lights illuminated. An independent mechanic noticed the plug attached to the receptacle was damaged. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the furnace and hot water heater combo was replaced. The manufacturer was notified by email, but no additional assistance was pro…
The side door access window failed while driving down the interstate at the posted speed limit of 70 mph. The failure occurred without warning. The entire window detached from the door and flew onto the roadway. It shattered and was run over by a semi-tractor trailer. The safety of other drivers was at risk as there was no warning that the window would fail. The window area of the vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer and is currently in the process of being replaced. This is a known issue on older Airstream Basecamps (model years 2017 - 2018).
The passenger side window that is part of the door started to come off. I was able to catch it coming loose in time to prevent it from coming completely loose. A Google search reveals that this is not an uncommon occurrence with the airstream basecamp models. There are several reports online from previous owners. We were lucky that the window didnât come off during transit! Iâve called airstream dealer in Seattle several times but customer service wonât return my calls.
I am writing about a 2021 Airstream Basecamp X AC unit. The bolts that hold the AC unit on top of the trailer stripped out of whatever was holding the unit on top of the trailer. Fortunately the trailer only suffered water damage during a rain storm but I understand that the unit was no longer secured to the roof and other owners have actually experienced the unit falling off the roof in transit. Because we didn't know this happened until the rainstorm and subsequent leak, it is certain we were unknowingly driving the vehicle on the road with an unsecured AC unit. Apparently there has been a recall for this problem on earlier models of the Basecamp and Airstream was to alter their productio…
The Air Stream Basecamp rock guard shield Southco fasteners have repeatedly failed and dropped out while traveling. We had a full replacement of all the Southco fasteners for the three rock guard shields installed on our 2020 Air Stream basecamp X trailer while we were traveling July 2020. Replacement service was handled under warranty by an Air Stream service department. While on a May 2021 trip, we again had a Southco fastener drop out of a rock shield. We only notice the fasteners are missing when we stop for gas, not while in transit. We are working with with the local Air Stream service department to replace the current missing fastener, again under warranty. It would be extremely dang…
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
Airstream has found that some Basecamps with the Suburban IW60 water heater, which have been upgraded to Lithium batteries, may experience a failure in the water heater firing, due to spikes in voltage.
In certain model year 2021 & 2022 Basecamp 20 travel trailers, the battery box lid gasket was not installed. In certain situations, the batteries may have the potential of outgassing, and without the gasket, the gases may enter the living area of the trailer.
This newsletter provides information concerning filiform corrosion and the steps taken to neutralize it.
This article discussed tire care and maintenance. It explains the meaning of nomenclature on the tire sidewall (i.e. the 4 digit date code, load range, and max load information.
It has come to DexterâÂÂs attention that axles using the Nev-R-Lube bearing package have had on occasion electric brakes locking up when coming out of a complete stop. This brake lock up may be due to the hub-drum having an out of round condition. If the travel trailer was manufactured between January and May of 2021, and is experiencing a brake lock-up condition.
The newsletter provides process and tips to properly winterize Airstream travel trailers.
Certain Basecamps trailers may not have been properly high-pot tested. TSB 189 provides detailed instruction on how to properly complete a high-pot test.
certain scenarios on model year 2020-2022 Airstream Basecamp 16' & 20' the solar rocak guards 1/4 turn fastener is not locking properly into the rubber receptacle. The fastener should fit tight and not be loosely attached.
It has come to Airstreams attention that the fresh water tank sensor on model year 2021 Basecamp 20' is not reading the correct percentage due to the sensor pad not being cut to the correct size. The tank used on the Basecamp 20 is the same tank used in our Bambi travel trailer. The tank can hold up to 27 gallons, however we are only able to use 23 gallons, therefore if the sensor is installed too low it will still show a percentage of usable water remaining but it cannot be pumped from the tank due to the pick up tube location. By replacing the sensor pad and installing it in the correct loc
The service bulletin affects model year 2021 Basecamp 20' units which do not have sufficient air flow exiting the furnace through the furnace ducts. The how-to explains the remedy to correct the airflow issue.
This newsletter provides detailed instructions regarding winterization of Airstream travel trailers and motorhomes.
This issue of the newsletter provides information about the optional lithium battery package Airstream is offering on the 2021 my travel trailers. There is also information of what is needed to upgrade a travel trailer that was manufactured prior to the 2021 model year.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2017–2024, owners most often name: equipment, structure, unknown or other. 10 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.