1997 Fleetwood Southwind Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Southwind years
- Not enough data 6th of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Fleetwood Southwind. That ranks 6th out of 28 Southwind model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is parking brake (4 complaints, 50%), typically at around 52,500 miles. Complaints mention 2 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 8owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Fleetwood Southwind problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parking Brake | 4 | 50% | 52,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 25% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 13% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 13% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 13% | 38,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Fleetwood Southwind recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer
Problem: Certain motor homes and travel trailers equipped with a two-door refrigerator, manufactured by the dometic corporation, may have a defect in the boiler tube. Pressurized coolant solution could be released into an area where an ignition source (gas flame) is present.
Risk: Release of coolant under certain conditions could ignite and result in a fire.
Fix: Fleetwood will be working with dometic in order to repair these refrigerators (please see 06e076). Dometic will repair these refrigerators by installing a secondary burn housing, a thermal fuse, and a melt fuse free of charge. Dometic has retained stericycle inc. To manage this campaign. Stericycle will assist you in locating dealerships or service centers and will provide assistance with scheduling of appointments. Owners may contact dometic/stericycle at 1-888-446-5157 or fleetwood at 1-800-322-8216.
Visibility:power window devices and controls
Problem: The e-z slide-out room can operate unexpectedly. Water can cause an electrical short in the slide-out room control relay.
Risk: If the slide-out room operates unexpectedly, the motor home width will increase which could lead to an accident if traveling or property damage could occur while the motor home is parked.
Fix: Dealers will install a replacement control relay in a waterproof location on these motor homes.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Six (6) bct radial a/p tires were installed on 97 fleetwood southwind motorhome (model 32vs) on 3/19/11 at approx. 33000 miles. One tire failed with tread separation while driving on rt. 90,10 miles west of rochester, ny, on 7/2/13. Tread separation caused wiring damage to the right rear wheelwell…
The automatic electric step did not come out when suppose to upon opening the doors. This caused the consumer to fall out, and break his leg. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak
The automatic 12 volt step at the entrance door failed to extend when the door was opened in the dark . Causing my wife to fall since there was no step. Requiring surgery, a plate and screws to be put in her ankle. *jb
The automatic park brake came on while driving and would not release when placed in reverse. A new part was placed on the vehicle, but problem still exists. *ak there were times where the vehicle was warmed and would not go into gear and the brake would not release. *sc *jb
Automatic park brake did not engage, and the emergency parking brake did not prevent the vehicle from rolling from an incline. Vehicle was back and forth to the dealer on several occasions, but problem recurred. *ak
Other Fleetwood Southwind years
← 1996 Southwind · 1998 Southwind →
See all Fleetwood Southwind problems by year, every Fleetwood model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Fleetwood models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Fleetwood Southwind?
Owners most often report parking brake, equipment, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, parking brake, accounts for 4 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Fleetwood Southwind?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Fleetwood Southwind a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Southwind model years, the 1997 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.