2003 Winnebago Chieftain Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Chieftain years
- Not enough data 5th of 16 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
NHTSA has received no owner complaints about the 2003 Winnebago Chieftain so far. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 0owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
2003 Winnebago Chieftain recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment
Problem: Winnebago is recalling certain recreational vehicles equipped with 1200-series norcold refrigerators. The population of refrigerators being addressed contains either a sensing algorithm or thermal switch to shut off power to the refrigerator when high temperatures are detected in order to prevent a potential fire. The response times of the sensor algorithm and thermal switch devices to stop power are not sufficient.
Risk: The sensing algorithm or thermal switch installed to shut off power to the refrigerator when high temperatures are detected due to a possible hydrogen gas leak may not shut off in sufficient time to prevent a fire.
Fix: Winnebago is working with norcold to identify and notify any affected owners. Owners will be instructed to contact norcold dealers to receive the remedy free of charge. Please see norcold's defect report 10e-049 for additional information. The recall began during december 2010. Owners may contact norcold at 1-800-767-9101 or winnebago at 1-641-585-3535.
Equipment
Problem: Winnebago is recalling 1,547 model year 2001-2003 recreational vehicles equipped with norcold model 1200lrim refrigerators, manufactured from march 1, 2001 to december 31, 2002, with serial numbers between 1273701 and 1536607, non-consecutively. A fatigue failure in the section of the cooling unit which contains the refrigerant could allow the liquid solution to slowly leak. If a leak occurs and the refrigerator continues to be operated after solution circulation has ceased the heat source could generate very high temperatures. At such high temperatures, the cooling unit could rupture.
Risk: If a leak occurs and the unit is continues to operate, hydrogen gas may be expelled and can be ignited, resulting in a fire, possibly causing serious injury or death.
Fix: Winnebago is working with norcold and norcold will notify owners and the vehicle's refrigerator will be repaired free of charge (please see 09e-027). Owners may contact norcold's recall center at 1-800-767-9101.
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.
Other Winnebago Chieftain years
← 2002 Chieftain · 2004 Chieftain →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Chieftain | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 Chieftain | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 Chieftain | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 Chieftain | 0 | 1 |
| 2007 Chieftain | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 Chieftain | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 Chieftain | 0 | 3 |
| 2004 Chieftain | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 Chieftain | 1 | 2 |
| 2001 Chieftain | 0 | 4 |
| 2000 Chieftain | 4 | 5 |
| 1999 Chieftain | 13 | 3 |
| 1998 Chieftain | 4 | 3 |
| 1997 Chieftain | 0 | 2 |
| 1996 Chieftain | 0 | 2 |
See all Winnebago Chieftain problems by year, every Winnebago model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Winnebago models
Embed this 2003 Winnebago Chieftain 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 Winnebago Chieftain?
NHTSA has no owner complaints on file yet.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Winnebago Chieftain?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Winnebago Chieftain a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Chieftain model years, the 2003 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.