Winnebago Warranty

Crayolacat01 · 04-01-2021, 11:17 AM

On 23 January 2021 we purchased a brand new Winnebago Forza from Transwest rv sales in Frederick Co. on 5 February 2021 while driving onbthe highway in Seguin Tx. Said rv caught on fire. The fire started in the furnace and burned the entire interior wall and rear bathroom. The entire ventilation system was smoke filled. We contacted the dealership and Winnebago. Needless to say Winnebago has refused to do anything with repairs or even acknowledge us until i was forced to hire an attorney. My insurance company is trying to close this case out, but Winnebago is pushing back with msking us whole. So do not purchase a Winnebago, they do not back thier products and treat the consumer like crap. Buyer beware they dont care!

rk911 · 04-01-2021, 12:29 PM

got to be more to this story. what was the cause of the fire? what reason did winnebago give for refusing the claim?

Crayolacat01 · 04-01-2021, 03:21 PM

There isn’t more to my story, the RV was only 13 days new when it caught on fire. A fire Investigator looked at the fire and said it was the furnace that self ignited. Really, there is nothing else to say. Winnebago did not even respond to my calls to get it looked at. My insurance company wanted to have the RV towed to Winnebago in Iowa, but they refused. They refused to even look at it till I hired an attorney. You tell me why a 13 day new RV catches on fire as I drive down the highway. I think it’s a crappy cheap product and Winnebago will pay for this.

**creativepart** · 04-01-2021, 03:47 PM

So, are you saying the furnace spontaneously ignited all by itself and not just ignited inside the furnace but it also then caught other areas adjacent to the furnace on fire?

There has to be something else going on here. We all have basically the same furnace in our RVs and one, they don’t spontaneously light - except when a thermostat calls for them to light and two, like gas furnaces everywhere, the combustion takes place within the furnace. They don’t burn up the back of the RV.

As to towing the RV 1,700 miles so they could look at it at the factory that doesn’t surprise me or point to any disregard for your plight. Obviously something totally unusual happened but nothing you’ve provided could explain what you’ve said has happened. Winnebagos are not bursting into flames on our nation’s highways.

A logical explanation could easily be made that some road debris hit a propane line and caused a fire... but the idea that the furnace caused the fire is difficult to understand.

Good luck with your legal process and I hope you end up with a satisfactory result.

Crayolacat01 · 04-01-2021, 03:53 PM

Well, if it’s any of you business it was an electrical fire. If your piece of Winnebago, catches on fire, have fun dealing with their attitude and attorneys. I’ve logged thousands of miles on a Tiffin and no problem. Never ever buy Winnebago. I hope your Winnebago has a good fire extinguisher.

**creativepart** · 04-01-2021, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crayolacat01

Well, if it’s any of you business....

You do realize you’ve posted your story on a public forum where anyone can comment... right?

Morich · 04-01-2021, 04:30 PM

There are many ways to make a furnace start a fire and one of those is faulty user methods. Things like not reading the books on safe use is a very good place to start.

With the attitude you display, I am nearly certain that you did not get a good reaction when reporting the problems.

Bad attitudes get bad reactions and bad results. I have dealt with the public in lots of ways and found that there are some who do not deserve any consideration and likely will not get a good result.

The name Karen comes to mind!

Cooperhawk · 04-01-2021, 04:33 PM

If the furnace started it, it's probably not Winnebago's fault.

Marine359 · 04-01-2021, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crayolacat01

Well, if it’s any of you business it was an electrical fire. If your piece of Winnebago, catches on fire, have fun dealing with their attitude and attorneys. I’ve logged thousands of miles on a Tiffin and no problem. Never ever buy Winnebago. I hope your Winnebago has a good fire extinguisher.

I’m so sorry for your misfortune with your new Forza, but I’m relieved that neither you or any of your passengers were injured. In all my years of RVing, and several years in the industry selling diesel pushers, I have never heard of a rig spontaneously bursting into flames. Not saying that it didn’t happen, but if it happened as you described, it must have been a leak which was ignited by some source, possibly the furnace igniter, possibly some other source. It should be obvious to you that any manufacturer faced with this kind of claim would want to get their ducks together before taking a stand. You paid a significant amount of money for your motor home and you have a right to be PO’d. You don’t, however, have a right to defame the manufacturer on this forum. So, I’m curious what is your motive for slamming Winnebago on a Winnebago owners forum? If your objective is to convince Winnebago owners to dump their rigs and not buy another Winnebago product, you have failed. This is not the place to litigate your conflict with the manufacturer. This forum is saved in memory, and I can’t imagine that your postings would help your legal case. It might help Winnebago.

Raxel7851 · 04-01-2021, 06:28 PM

His byline states he has posted 3 times. Seems to me he just created an account to get some “support/sympathy”. Our Travato developed a humming noise in the ATS. It was a month out of warranty with less than 5k miles. I called Winnebago and they told me they would honor repairing/replacing it when I get it to the dealer. That’s Customer Service. I understand this fellow’s frustration with having a brand new $$$$$ rig suffer damage like that. From the small amount of time I’ve utilized this site, I’ve found the members here to be super passionate about the Winnebago product. Count me in as one of them. I’ll continue to buy their products.

Sun_Seeker · 04-02-2021, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raxel7851

His byline states he has posted 3 times. Seems to me he just created an account to get some “support/sympathy”. Our Travato developed a humming noise in the ATS. It was a month out of warranty with less than 5k miles. I called Winnebago and they told me they would honor repairing/replacing it when I get it to the dealer. That’s Customer Service. I understand this fellow’s frustration with having a brand new $$$$$ rig suffer damage like that. From the small amount of time I’ve utilized this site, I’ve found the members here to be super passionate about the Winnebago product. Count me in as one of them. I’ll continue to buy their products.

I've read this thread, and only see a poor chap venting. Whether he was motivated to join the forum for the purpose of 'venting', so be it. Personally, I'll cut this poster all the breaks he might need. Imagine...you are excited beyond measure, and because of the Winnebago name brand, you MAKE a decision to purchase a multi-(major)-thousand dollar RV...and 13 days later...not only, could you and your family have lost your lives...but you see it receive substantial, if not fatal damage...13 days INTO OWNERSHIP?!???

For whatever reason, the fire started...the guy, as a really UPSET human being, needed to vent...and we all should be gracious enough to let him, without our backs becoming hunched. We didn't suffer this loss, this scare, this HUGE disappointment. He did... Sir...I'm so sorry this happened to you, and hope you find recourse. We all agree, as you (the O.P.) would have to truly agree, this fire event is not NORMAL, this is not the rule, but the exception what happened to you, and when you get a replacement, or a $$$ recovery payout, this site is a wealth of information for all owners of any Winnebago 'going down the road'.... You (the O.P.) are (and rightly so!) immensely upset...and as for myself, I would be TOO! Good luck, sir! I acknowledge that you are not a 'newbie', and that you have used and enjoyed past other T.T.'s or R.V.'s, and therefore have acumen on what you should do...and NOT do, when operating your vehicle. Again...I wish you the best outcome!

2cyber71 · 04-07-2021, 04:45 PM

I’ve been RVing 22 yrs. never heard of spontaneous ignition of a furnace.
Just my experience
Also, Winnebago has always been a responsible company as long as I have been RVing.
Just my opinion

NeilV · 04-07-2021, 06:13 PM

A lot also depends on what the selling dealership told Winnebago as to the customer and the cause of the fire along with any user modifications or dealer modifications done to the coach. If they were told it was due to road debris, rodents, modifications or similar then its not a warranty issue but something between the owner and his RV Insurance Company or the Selling Dealership.

For example the selling dealership having a rodent infestation issue that lead to rats chewing on the wiring causing a fire would not be a factory warranty issue but an issue with the dealership and how they stored the coaches and then inspected them prior to selling them. A dealer installing an Extend-A-Stay on the propane system and missing that they caused a leak in the gas line near the furnace would not be a factory warranty issue either but an issue with the selling dealers technicians not doing the mandatory leak down test after working on the propane distribution lines.

It may even be the situation that if the Suburban Furnace was defective that Suburban or whoever manufactured the furnace, is pushing back and wants complete forensics done with chain of evidence preserved.

A lot of variables here and Winnebago would more likely want the coach inspected by the closest authorized dealer where they have a factory rep present instead of being towed halfway across the country back to the factory and dumped on their doorstep.

CarpeDiem · 04-07-2021, 06:43 PM

Yes to all the skeptics. There are at least two sides to a story (conflict) in this case there are at least four sides. The owner, Winnebago, the dealer & the insurance company.

HappiHenri · 04-08-2021, 12:45 AM

Well - it is our business - you made it our business by posting your problem on this site and asking for our advice and help.

You have not really explained much of this story - offering no reason why Winnebago refuses to consider a warranty repair. As others have said those heaters do not simply self-combust, so there has to be more that you are not telling us.

You only seem intent on bad-mouthing Winnebago, but in my dealings with them have been fantastic when talking to them on product inquiries, etc..

Ret.LEO · 04-08-2021, 08:44 AM

I can fully sympathize with the posters heartbreak of having his new coach go up in flames. BUT I can't sympathize with the anger displayed. If this was his attitude with the Dealer and Winnebago from the get go, I can understand Winnebago's reluctance to resolve the issue as fast as the poster would like.
The insurance company needs to be paying the claimant. The posters issue is with his insurance company, not Winnebago.
Winnebago has a protocol I'm sure when something like this happens. Once the poster hired a lawyer that slowed everything down. His insurance company have their own Claims Adjusters along with their own Attorneys. There wasn't any need for him to throw another Attorney in the mix; that really muddied everything up!
He needs to be after his insurance company to write the check. The poster needs the insurance company "to make him whole" not Winnebago. The rest is between his insurance company and Winnebago........that's their battle........not his.
I also have to wonder if maybe he goofed up and just took out "actual cash value" instead of "replacement cost" insurance? Might explain him getting his own attorney involved.

sduff · 04-09-2021, 08:48 AM

I hope the poster, Crayolacat01, affords us the opportunity, in the words of that famous radio commentator, Paul Harvey, posts the results of the investigation into the cause of the fire. As Paul would have said, "and now you know the rest of the story."

**creativepart** · 04-09-2021, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sduff

I hope the poster, Crayolacat01, affords us the opportunity, in the words of that famous radio commentator, Paul Harvey, posts the results of the investigation into the cause of the fire. As Paul would have said, "and now you know the rest of the story."

A check of his account show he has not returned once since his last post here. Looking around at other forums I don't see any mentions of this issue on those outlets either. So, we'll just have to wait and see.

RetiredUSCG · 04-11-2021, 04:32 PM

I own a 2019 Winnebago View. Had a water leak above the door after owning the View for 1 year and 2 weeks. I did not realize that to maintain the roof warranty you must get the seals checked every six months. I had failed to do that. I called Winnebago to see if there was anything they could do for me. The guy I spoke to did not put me off at all but he was not sure if they could repair it under warranty or not. He said take it to my dealer, have them check it out and for the dealer to contact Winnebago. So, I took it to my dealer, Tom Schaeffer’s RV in Shoemakersville, PA, best RV dealer on the planet. They checked it out and said they could easily repair it but they were not sure if Winnebago would pay for it. I said, no matter what, I have to get it fixed and I’m too old to do it myself. I left the rig at the dealer. They called 2 days later and said it was all done. I asked how much? They said it would not cost me a thing. Winnebago paid for all the work. They redid several of the seals on the roof and most of the side seals, total cost was over $1000.00, cost to me, nothing. The dealer said almost no other manufacturer would have paid for that. The dealer did a great job on the seals too. I could in no way ask for better service and treatment than what I got. You can bet I’ll be at the dealership in 6 months to get those seals checked.I’m very happy with Winnebago.

JBP · 04-14-2021, 05:16 AM

A furace is 12 volts? I would think that in order to start fire there would need to be some
very combustible fuel near where is started. With high temp switch had to have failed if it was furace. Possible but very unusual. I think it had to be loose wire.
It would be nice to see the fire report.
Sorry for you and your coach. Very glade you both are OK.
It is ok to vent. Most of us do at times.