How to File an RV Safety Complaint with NHTSA, and What Happens Next

The short version

File at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem and choose Vehicle. NHTSA’s form lists RVs and trailers under that option by name. Or call the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236, staffed in English and Spanish, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. It is free, and NHTSA estimates it takes about ten minutes. You do not need to have been hurt, and you do not need the dealer’s agreement that something is wrong.

What counts

NHTSA takes complaints about problems that could be a safety defect: something that could cause a crash, a fire or an injury. A propane leak, a brake or axle failure, a wheel coming off, wiring that overheats, steps or an awning that collapse, a slide-out that moves on its own. Peeling decals, a sticking drawer or a dealer that will not return calls are real problems, but they are usually warranty and consumer-protection matters, not what this system is for.

If the part that failed is something added after the RV was built, NHTSA has a separate option on the same page for other vehicle-related equipment. Tires have their own form as well.

What to have ready

These are the things every published complaint record carries (NHTSA’s complaint file layout), so they are what to have in front of you:

• The RV’s year, make and model, and the VIN.
• The part that failed, and a description of what happened. Plain facts, in order.
• The date of the incident, and the mileage at the time if it is a motorhome.
• Whether there was a crash or a fire, and how many people were injured or killed.

Be specific about the part. Complaints are sorted by component, and the most useful ones say exactly what broke. Across the 4,994 RV complaints on file since 2016, the parts owners name most are structure (27%), electrical system (13%), equipment (13%), suspension (13%).

What happens after you file

NHTSA describes the process in four stages. Your complaint goes into a public database once personal details are removed. The agency screens complaints alongside other information to decide whether to open an investigation. An investigation ends either with NHTSA notifying the manufacturer of its recall recommendations or with no safety-related defect identified. NHTSA then monitors any recall, including how many vehicles actually get repaired. The filing page adds one caution: complaints NHTSA cannot verify may be removed from the searchable data.

In NHTSA’s words, similar reports from a number of people about the same product are what can indicate a defect worth investigating. One complaint rarely moves anything. Several describing the same failure on the same model can.

What filing will not do

• It will not get your RV fixed. NHTSA does not resolve individual disputes. Keep working the warranty claim with the dealer and the maker at the same time.
• It is not a finding. A complaint records what an owner reported. NHTSA has not checked it, and neither have we, which is why this site calls complaint counts unverified everywhere they appear.
• It is not private. NHTSA removes personally identifying information, but the public file still carries your description, your city and state, and the first 11 characters of the VIN. Leave names and other personal details out of the narrative.

Why it is worth doing anyway

Because almost nobody does. RV makers have recalled 4,192,238 RVs since 2016, counting an RV once for every recall it was caught in. Over the same period owners filed 4,994 complaints, roughly 454 a year for the entire industry, and 30 of the 87 makers in our recall data have none at all. 259 of those complaints report a fire.

With so few reports, each one is a meaningful share of the record for its model. That cuts both ways when you read the complaint rankings: a low count mostly means few owners reported, not that few RVs had problems. It also means a clear, specific complaint about a real safety failure is one of the few ways an RV owner can put a problem where regulators and other buyers will see it.

This guide is for informational purposes only. It is not legal, mechanical or purchasing advice, and it is not a safety rating of any RV or manufacturer. Recall and complaint counts are not adjusted for how many RVs a company builds, because no one publishes that figure. Confirm anything about a specific RV with its maker, a dealer or NHTSA before acting on it.

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Against NHTSA's Report a Safety Problem and recall process pages, and the NHTSA complaint snapshot this site is built on.