RvCrunch
Guides
How RV recalls and owner complaints work, how to check an RV you own or want to buy, and how to read the numbers on this site without being misled by them. Every rule is linked to the federal regulation or NHTSA page it comes from, and every figure is computed from the same NHTSA data as the rankings.
Half of every RV covered by a recall in the last ten years traces to a single fire extinguisher. An analysis of 1,789 NHTSA recall campaigns, 87 RV makers and 4,994 owner complaints.
Read guide →What an RV Maker's Recall Count Tells You (and What It Can't)More recalls does not mean a worse RV. What a recall is under federal law, why big builders file more, and the three things a recall record is actually good for.
Read guide →How to Check a Used RV for Recalls Before You BuyA four-step check for a used RV: the model, the chassis and appliances, the one VIN check that settles it, and what the law says about who pays for the fix.
Read guide →How to File an RV Safety Complaint with NHTSA, and What Happens NextWhere to file, what to have ready, what NHTSA does with a complaint, and what it will not do for you. Plus how rarely RV owners actually report.
Read guide →RV Complaints vs. Recalls: What Each One Is, and How to Read a Model's RecordA recall is a maker admitting a defect, with a free fix. A complaint is one owner's unverified report. How they connect, and how to read a model's count.
Read guide →Were Pandemic-Era RVs Built Worse? What the Complaint Data Can and Can't SayOwners report 2021 and 2022 RVs far more than other recent model years. Why the fair comparison is each year's first three years, and why more RVs is half of it.
Read guide →RV Fire Reports: Owner Complaints vs. Maker RecallsOwners reported fire in 259 of 4,994 RV complaints; makers named it in 615 of 1,789 recalls. How the two NHTSA counts differ, by maker, through Sept 2026.
Read guide →What RV Owners Name in NHTSA Complaints: The Parts, by CountOwners filed 5,025 RV complaints with NHTSA from 2016 to Sept 2026. Structure was named in 27%. Which parts owners name, and what the counts can't say.
Read guide →Why New RV Model Years Show Fewer Complaints (It Is Mostly Time)Model year 2024 shows 155 RV complaints against 405 for 2016, but that is mostly time, not quality. How equal-time counts work, through Sept 2026.
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