What Heartland Bighorn owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Heartland Bighorn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Heartland Bighorn complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
I have videos of my immaculate 2014 3570Fifth Wheel. Went to wire a set of stabilizer jacks and this is what I found. It is not the only truss under my RV that has welding on the cross braces or web that has failed. vin number [XXX]. My welder said the bad welds started to fail and cascade along the truss. This is a disaster! We need to continue removing the under covering and inspect the rest of the frame. This should never have happened! It appears the truss was tack welded and left in an area where moisture collected on the welding and started the corrosion process prior to assembly of the RV. The 1st video shows Two broken, rusted welds on the diagonal braces. The adjacent braces ar…
Range is installed in our Heartland RV. Suburban put out a TSB to have silicone placed at wiring connections on stove knobs under stove top. Then they put out a recall to disconnected and cap the wiring for the illumination of the stove knobs and the oven lighting. The range has an issue with the temperature control that it doesnât reach indicated temperature. The main issue is that when the pilot is lit and you set it to a temperature like 300 degrees it lights okay. But, after a few minutes the burner goes out and so does the pilot. You have to continually relate the pilot and each time turn the range to a higher temperature to keep the burner in the oven on to cook anything. Suburban h…
The contact owns a 2023 Heartland Bighorn built on a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. The contact stated that while the awning was opened, the front passengerâs side the awning fractured. The contact stated that the water tank also filled up with water independently. On another occasion, while pulling the stairs, the screws to the handle detached. The RV was taken to the dealer and the RV was repaired. On another occasion, while turning on the water, the contact became aware that the water was not heated as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the battery was replaced; however, the lights inside the RV were low. The RV was diagnosed by an inspector sent by the manufacturer a…
-The 30 AMP MPPT solar controller located in the front storage compartment of a Heartland 5th wheel suddenly caught fire filling the RV with acrid smoke and scorching other critical components. The propane tanks are on both sides of the solar controller. The smoke sensors did not alarm and 3 people were in the RV at the time of the incident. -The fire could have burned (seriously or fatally) the occupants, caused smoke inhalation injuries/death, caused the propane tanks to explode, injured other campers, as well as damaged other property. -The problem has been reported to the manufacturer on July 13, 2021; however, it has not been acknowledged as reproduced or confirmed. …
The right rear leaf spring hanger started to crack. If the spring hanger would have broken off the tires could have came together creating a potential hazard. Lippert Components is the manufacture of this suspension system. Lippert marketed this system called Correct Track and installed it across several brands of RV. I did a little research and found multiple failures. I notified Lippert of the failure and they open a case for me. I had a welder complete all repairs and Lippert has agreed to reimburse me for that cost.
****NOTE - NEED INFO ON TIRES**** I PURCHASED A NEW 2018 HEARTLAND BIGHORN TRAVELER 39MB FIFTH WHEEL RV ON 10/11/2017. ON 09/17/2018, I DISCOVERED A FLAT TIRE ON THIS RV, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE AN ISSUE OF TREAD SEPARATION RATHER THAN A PUNCTURE. ON 09/20/2018, WHILE STILL UNDER THE ONE YEAR WARRANTY PERIOD, I REPLACED ALL FIVE TIRES (INCLUDING SPARE), WITH LOAD RANGE "G" TIRES. AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE, HEARTLAND INSTALLED TRAIL KING ST235/85/16 LOAD RANGE "E" TIRES ON THIS RV. THE MAXIMUM LOAD RATING FOR THESE TIRES IS 3640 LBS TIMES FOUR TIRES IS A TOTAL WEIGHT RATING CAPACITY OF 14,560 LBS. THE GVWR OF THIS RV IS 15,500 LBS. THE TIRES THAT HEARTLAND INSTALLED ARE 940 LBS. BELOW THE …
REAR AXLE BRACKETS BROKE OFF OF FRAME CASING REAR AXLE TO MOVE AND BLOW TIRE ON THE FREEWAY. LUCKILY THERE WASN'T AN ACCIDENT . I HAVE CONTACTED DEXTER AXLES AND LIPPERT AND ALSO HEARTLAND AND THEY ALL SAY IT'S NOT THERE PROBLEM
WE HAD A TIRE EXPLODE ON OUR FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER AND WERE ONLY GOING 25MPH. ALL TIRES ARE CHECKED FOR DAMAGE PRIOR TO EVERY TRIP AND MAX AIR PRESSURE ADJUSTED IF NEEDED. THE EXPLODING TIRE DAMAGED THE SIDE OF OUR TRAILER AND RIPPED OUT WIRING TO A SLIDE OUT. UPON REVIEW OF THE INTERNET AND RELATED TIRE ISSUES IT APPEARS THERE HAVE BEEN A HISTORY OF THESE FAILURES.
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.
TSB for Suburban Range LED lights shorting out on the face frame.
On certain 2021 Heartland Fuel, Torque, Sundance, Pioneer, Prowler travel trailers and 2021 Heartland Cyclone, Gravity, Fuel, Torque, Big Horn Traveler, Milestone, Elkridge fifth Wheels, an assembly error by our external vendor could cause the actuator to not allow the slide room to retract.
DUE TO IMPROPER BUILD SPECIFICATIONS FROM DOMETIC ON ITS BLIZZARD AC SYSTEM AIR FLOW REQUIREMENTS, THE AC SYSTEM HAS TOO HIGH OF A STATIC AIR PRESSURE. THIS STATIC AIR PRESSURE CAUSES THE ACCUMULATED STANDING WATER TO SPLASH INTO THE RETURN AIR DUCT.
DUE TO IMPROPER BUILD SPECIFICATIONS FROM DOMETIC ON ITS BLIZZARD AC SYSTEM AIR FLOW REQUIREMENTS, THE AC SYSTEM HAS TOO HIGH OF A STATIC AIR PRESSURE. THIS STATIC AIR PRESSURE CAUSES THE ACCUMULATED STANDING WATER TO SPLASH INTO THE RETURN AIR DUCT.
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 2012–2023, owners most often name: tires, wheels, equipment. 20 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.