2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Vacationer years
- Not enough data 4th of 27 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer. That ranks 4th out of 27 Vacationer model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes, hydraulic (4 complaints, 80%), typically at around 15,000 miles. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 5owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 80% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 20% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 20% | 15,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Trailer hitches
Problem: On certain class a motor h0mes built with gasoline engines, the frame extension lower flange may crack allowing the hitch to bend and possibly separate from the motor home.
Risk: This could result in separation of the towed vehicle.
Fix: Dealers will add an addition of two pieces of angle steel to the frame extension and hitch mounting point in order to reinforce the frame extension flange free of charge. The recall began on february 15, 2007. Owners may contact monaco at 877-466-6226. Note: the ending manufacturing date for indiana built motor homes is march 8, 2002 while the oregon built motor homes were built through november 2002. The federal id label located on the wall next to the driver's seat specifies in which state the motor home was built.
Electrical system
Problem: Certain motor homes built on workhorse chassis and equipped with actia corporate instrument cluster fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 101, 'controls and displays,' and no. 105, 'hydraulic and electric brake systems.' if the brake fail input falls below a voltage of 1.5v, the brake failure lamp and alarm will be activated. Also activation of the abs telltale when the abs is not properly functioning does not always occur.
Risk: At night the instrument cluster lights may fail and the driver may not be able to see the instrument panel gauges and the brake warning light indicator which could increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Workhorse is conducting this recall (please see 04v195000) and will reprogram the instrument panel cluster free of charge. Owners may contact workhorse at 1-877-246-7731 or monaco at 1-800-685-6545.
Service brakes, hydraulic:brake fluid low warning: lamp
Problem: Certain motor home chassis fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 105, "hydraulic and electric brake systems." the brake system warning indicator may not function as required by standard.
Risk: In some of the affected vehicles, the brake system warning indicator will not illuminate when the ignition is in the start position or for a low brake fluid condition, if the body builder relied solely upon ford's ivm compliance statement for the brake system warning indicator.
Fix: Dealers will repair the brake warning lamp circuit. Owner notification began may 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact monaco coach at 1-877-477-6226.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components
Problem: On certain motor homes, the brake assemblies exhibit elevated temperatures that can lead to catastrophic deterioration of the wheel end components such as bearings, races, spindles, knuckles, seals, hubs, rotors, patch bolts, calipers, brake pads, and abs sensors.
Risk: This could result in loss of control, and/or the potential for a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the front and rear brake calipers for corrosion and replace or rebuild the calipers as necessary. The recall began on august 18, 2004. Owners should contact monaco at 1-800-685-6545.
Structure
Problem: On certain class a motor homes, the floor truss network support system has a potential to weaken causing internal and external features to become misaligned. The affected vehicles are 1999 - 2003 class a motor homes manufactured on f53 20,500 pound gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), ford chassis, and 2000-2003 class a motor homes manufactured on w-22 22,000 pound gvwr, workhorse chassis.
Risk: Conditions can result in the bottoming out the suspension and amplification of the stress placed on the floor truss network. The additional stress can result in the fracture of welds securing the floor truss network system to the chassis frame rail and/or fracture of the floor truss network support system. The possibility exists that there could be damage to electrical wiring and/or fuel lines which could potentially lead to a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the floor truss network support system, reinforce the existing structure, and repair, as needed, the floor truss network support. Owner notification began november 5, 2002. Owners should contact monaco at 1-800-685-6545.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Tow hitch/frame failure (PE06047) — opened Oct 24, 2006, closed Jan 22, 2007, led to recall 07V010000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Drivers side rear brake on 2003 workhorse w-22 motorhome chassis locked after coming down steep grade. Brake released after cooling for about 20 or 30 minutes. Abs light stays on now most of the time. No damage to pads or rotor. The brake lockup has not repeated since. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler vacationer. The contact stated that the brakes are sticking and overheating. The mechanic stated that the abs failed. In february of 2008, the brakes overheated, which caused the abs to fail and have to be replaced. The brakes lock and cause them to…
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 holiday rambler vacationer. While driving 55 mph, the rear passenger side brakes overheated. The contact allowed the brakes to cool and drove to a garage for inspection. The dealer informed him of nhtsa campaign id numbers 02v278000 (service brakes, hydraulic:foundation…
Abs light periodically was illuminated. Just returned from 7,000 mile trip and find that all four rotors are blue and have cracks deep through the rotor. I do not ride my brakes as brake pads are not worn out. I do not feel this is normal and feel there is a defect. *tr
Electrical problem, absolutely no braking or steering was possible. *bf there was a problem with the a/c. *sc jb
Other Holiday Rambler Vacationer years
← 2002 Vacationer · 2004 Vacationer →
See all Holiday Rambler Vacationer problems by year, every Holiday Rambler model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Holiday Rambler models
Embed this 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer?
Owners most often report service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting problems. The top one, service brakes, hydraulic, accounts for 4 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Vacationer model years, the 2003 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.