Thinking about buying an RV? Sincerely: Read this before buying.

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Before you head out and buy your RV, take a minute to read this (and read a lot of blogs, websites, and social media).  I speak as someone who bought a new RV that was not safe; then sued the manufacturer of the RV, the manufacturer of the chassis, and the dealer; and then had it replaced with one that was arguably less safe.

(Edit on 10/26/19: to be clear (since I’ve gotten the question “Why would you buy a Thor again??” quite a few times), we did not buy a second Thor—the settlement with Thor was that they replace the first lemon.)

My personal experience is with Thor (which I would 100% recommend against anyone buying), but be wary of the industry as a whole.

Do tons and tons and TONS of research on RVs, on makes and models, on dealers, on your state’s Lemon Law (spoiler alert: it might not cover RVs), and on customer experiences. 

Join Facebook groups like RV Horror Stories or Thor Motor Coach Issues and Complaints (look for pages specifically for the brands you’re considering) and read what kinds of issues real, current owners are having.  Don’t let anyone imply that it’s your fault if you buy a lemon—it’s the manufacturer’s fault for manufacturing and selling it, and the industry’s for not well-regulating; but go into your potential purchase with very-wide-open eyes, because purchasing an RV is not a decision to make lightly.

As you get further down the list, you’ll see that some issues aren’t a huge deal.  However, overall shoddy craftsmanship is a big deal, and every repair is just more time your vehicle sits in the shop.  Some problems might seem like something you can fix yourself–and probably are–but if your RV is still under warranty, you could end up invalidating your warranty for that and related parts.  The last thing you want to do is jeopardize the warranty, because things WILL go wrong.

Since the problems I’m about to describe have happened with not one, but two brand-new RVs (in this case, both Thors), it’s a pattern, not a fluke.

The two vehicles I’m writing about are a 2017 Thor Axis and a 2019 Thor Vegas.  

I’m going to tell you about both RVs, and will list the issues we’ve had in order of what I personally feel is worst (unsafe and/or trip-halting) to more minor issues. I’m therefore going to go back and forth between the vehicles—but I’ll be clear about which one I’m talking about each time. 

So, let’s get into it, beginning with the situation that could’ve gotten us killed on the highway:

BEARING BROKE, WHEEL ALMOST FELL OFF

(The 2019 Thor Vegas)

The story: We were on the last couple days of a road trip that looped from Maryland down through the Smokies (lovely drive, by the way).  On Highway 81, driving at almost highway speed, my husband felt a pop and the RV swerved.  He immediately pulled over.  He got out looked and didn’t see a flat tire, so he got back in and tried to drive it on the shoulder.  It didn’t feel right and was making a grinding noise, so he didn’t want to continue on.  We called the Roadside Assistance number we were given when we bought the vehicle.  Since the chassis is built by Ford, Ford provides Roadside Assistance.  Long story short, we were on the shoulder for nearly 3 hours as the vehicle shook violently with each passing truck.  It took multiple phonecalls, into the middle of the night, to get help.  It took highway patrol getting on the phone with Roadside Assistance (I handed him the phone on maybe the fourth call?), before they finally located and dispatched a tow truck.  We actually ended up spending the night in our RV, attached to the truck, in a tow yard.

In the morning, the driver towed us to the Ford dealer since the issue was not with the unit itself but with the chassis.  They said it would be weeks before they could even look at it to try to diagnose it.  Our trip was cut short and we had to rent a car to drive home.  We also had to cancel our big New England/Canada road trip.

Long story short, they got to diagnosing it faster than expected.  Look at the red underline here: THE FRONT WHEEL WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF.  Also, “the left front brakes weren’t operating as should.”

The wheel almost fell off of a vehicle we were driving on the highway and the brakes weren’t operating properly.  That’s what the RV industry is putting on the road.

While Ford manufactures the chassis, it is Thor that chooses the supplier, Thor that accepts the chassis, Thor that stores the chassis until it’s used, Thor that builds their unit and puts it on top of the chassis, and Thor that puts their name on the side of their finished product.  In other words, it’s a Thor.

A Thor that it’s impossible to feel safe in.

Moving along to unsafe issue #2…

THE RUSTED PART THAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE NOT TO GO INTO PARK, DRAINING THE BATTERIES SO IT HAD TO BE JUMP STARTED TO DRIVE IT

(The 2017 Thor Axis)

When we took our first road trip in the Axis, the battery died a few days into the trip.  Being newbies, we assumed that we’d left something on and it had drained the battery.  We charged it for what would end up being one of a gajillion times, be it by emergency start switch or by jumper cables, for nearly a year until the problem was diagnosed.  The vehicle went back and forth and back and forth, between the original dealer, the Ford dealer, and another dealer, before Ford finally took apart the steering column to find that there was a rusted part inside it.

A rusted part, inside an area that doesn’t get wet, inside a brand-new vehicle.

The Ford technician suggested that perhaps Thor had left the chassis out on the lot, in the rain for a while, and not fully dried it before putting their unit on top of it.

This isn’t the best picture, but a Ford technician typed me up an explanation: THIS RUSTED PART PREVENTED THE STEERING COLUMN FROM GOING INTO THE PARK POSITION, which caused the RV to keep drawing power, which kept draining the battery if the RV sat for more than 48 hours without charging either by hookup or by driving.

Edit on 21 October 2020 to add: We are waiting to figure out why the SECOND Thor has not started since August.  Yes, we’ve been waiting a couple of months.  We had dropped it off at Camping World to have the windshield wipers repaired and then went to pick it up and it wouldn’t start.  These vehicles are total crap, guys.

Moving on to problem 3, also quite unsafe…

THE WHEEL TRIM FLYING OFF ON THE HIGHWAY

(The 2017 Thor Axis)

You know what isn’t safe?  Things flying off of your vehicle onto the highway, where other people are driving behind you.  Very fortunately for us and others, no one was injured when part of our wheel trim flew off.

While we were driving down the highway, we suddenly heard/felt something drag and come off.  We pulled over onto the shoulder.  One part was long gone (and we weren’t going to walk up and down the interstate looking for it).  The photographed trim was hanging on.  We obviously removed it to avoid putting anyone else in danger.

It should be noted that this had to be fixed multiple times.

Also, this is a case where you have to be willing to potentially invalidate the warranty.  Yes, my husband is the one who removed the remainder of the trim, but if we’d waited until we could get to an authorized repair shop, we would’ve been endangering other drivers.

Moving on to literally the same problem in the 2019 vehicle

THE WHEEL TRIM NOT SECURED IN VEHICLE #2

(2019 Thor Vegas)

Yep, in two years, Thor still hasn’t figured out how to safely secure wheel trim–or doesn’t care to.

And that should scare you: they know they do it unsafely. 

They know it’s been a problem, and they have not corrected the problem.  They knowingly continue to put drivers in danger.  That. Should. Scare. You.

We currently have it in the shop so they can hopefully fix it.

EDIT TO ADD:

Problem 4 1/2: WINDSHIELD WIPERS NOT FUNCTIONING

Edit to add (June 2020): The 2019 Thor Vegas: The windshield wipers stopped working. It’s in the shop now to have the motor replaced. This is a safety issue, as you can’t drive in rain safely without windshield wipers; and in some places it’s illegal to do so. 

On to Problem #5…

THE NIGHT SHADE WOULD GET STUCK

On the first night of our first trip, we put down the night shade.  (You need to put it down to keep light out and to prevent people from being able to see into your vehicle.)  In the morning, it wouldn’t go up.  That meant we couldn’t drive.  We were stuck where we’d spent the night.

My husband troubleshooted using the manual.  He went online.  He called Thor and they troubleshooted over the phone.  Eventually, he just had to hand-roll it.  We took it into the shop and had it repaired.  Next trip: same thing.  It took multiple repairs for the night shade to function properly.

Moving on to Problem #6…

A/C STOPPED FUNCTIONING

(2019 Thor Vegas)

I know what you’re thinking: How bad is that?  That’s not really a safety issue, is it?  Well, during a heat wave, yes, it is.  When you’re driving down the road for hours at a time, as hot as the engine gets up front, and you’re sweating, not able to stay hydrated despite drinking gallons of water, yes, for someone who gets kidney stones, dehydration is a serious issue.

We noticed that something wasn’t right with the A/C on the first short trip we took.  It was the last day–we hadn’t driven the RV more than a few days since we’d bought it.  We had an upcoming trip, and I tried three different dealers before leaving, but none could get us in (or they didn’t call back).

I decided to visit a dealer near where we’d be staying.  I called the local branch.  Without checking out the RV, they said to call Ford.  We were near a Ford service center, so we stopped in.  Without looking at it, they said to take it to the dealer.  I called Thor while we were still at the Ford service station, and they, too, said to take it to the dealer.  The Ford technician said that, later that day, he’d look under the hood just to make sure it wasn’t as simple as low freon, though that was doubtful on a new vehicle.  So my mother and daughter and I waited a couple of hours.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t open the hood.  Why?  Because the dealer had not given us both sets of the hood key and there was none on my key ring.

The next day, I ended up at an urgent care center for an infection from the dehydration.

We had to finish that trip with no A/C until we returned home and the dealer fixed it (after they also told us it had to go to Ford–we had to get onto social media just to get someone to agree to look at it).

Edit to add (June 2020): Our A/C on the 2019 Vegas had to be repaired again, June 2020. Twice in the first 13 months of owning a brand-new vehicle, which we’ve driven for no more than a month total, the A/C stopped working. 

Moving on to issue #7…

SHORE POWER FAILED

(2017 Thor Axis)

We plugged into a campsite and the vehicle had no power, despite being plugged into electricity.  The battery worked, but there was no power in the vehicle if we attempted to use the campsite electricity.  Eventually, we got power, then lost it again.  We moved the vehicle to a different campsite in the campground, and still had no power (and both campsites were tested by the campground host, as was our cable).  We were unable to resume electrical power that day.  Troubleshooting with the Thor Warranty department did not solve the issue, and we were having trouble getting an appointment with an authorized Thor service department, the closest of which was over 3 hours round trip from our campsite.  After a third day of no shore power, we went to Home Depot and purchased a square bit to remove something (I forget what it was!), where my husband discovered loose wiring, repaired it, and we regained electrical hookup for the vehicle.

Loose wiring is a pattern.

Moving on to Problem #8…

CAN’T UNLOCK MAIN DOOR LOCK

(2019 Thor Vegas)

The main lock isn’t loose enough to lock and unlock it.  If I pull and jerk it and sometimes use a second person, I can lock it.  Actually, maybe this should be further up on the list, seeing as not being able to exit the vehicle in an emergency is unsafe, and not being able to lock it while in motion is unsafe…

Moving on to Problem #9…

MAGNET SECURING BATHROOM DOOR WON’T STAY SECURE

(2019 Thor Vegas)

Because the magnetic strip on the ceiling won’t stay screwed in, the door won’t stay closed–including flying open when we’re driving.  It’s unsettling to drive while doors are flying open and shut.  It’s currently in for repair.

On to Problem #10…

BUNK CABLE WAS NOT SECURE

(2017 Thor Axis)

Since I don’t know enough about the cable, I don’t know if this affected the integrity of holding up the bunk bed.  My daughter slept on our bunk, so any issue with it was concerning.  Here are the repair notes. Cable too short.

Moving right along…

CIRCUITRY ALARM MALFUNCTIONING

(2017 Thor Axis)

We periodically had an alarm going off.  Chirping, flashing lights–a bona fide alarm going off.  I honestly don’t recall if it was every fully resolved before Thor replaced the RV.

SHOWER LEAK

(2019 Thor Vegas)

We’ve never used the shower, but it leaks as soon as you hook the RV up to water at a campsite.  I saw that there was an issue when I opened the bathroom door to find a pool of water in the shower.  At first, I thought a gallon of water had spilled, but then I noticed it a second time.  Unfortunately, clothes in the shower had soaked up most of the water while we were staying inside a house, ruining the clothes with mildew.  It’s currently under repair.

Moving on to Problem #12….

CABINET DOOR FELL OFF

(2019 Thor Vegas)

First trip in the new vehicle, and my husband goes to open the cabinet over the sink, and Bam, the screws come out of the top.  We had to completely remove it so that it wouldn’t get torn off as we drove.  Here are the repair notes.  There’s something noteworthy about them:

The key sentence here is “…the cabinets always show up needing to be drilled for the hinges and hardware” – indicating that Thor repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly churns out vehicles that aren’t put together properly.

Also, while a defective cabinet door does’t seem like a huge deal, it’s never good when things overhead are not secure–especially in a moving vehicle.

Moving on…

CAMERA NO SIGNAL

(2017 Thor Axis)

You know what’s important in an RV?  The backup camera.  It just showed up as NO SIGNAL on the screen.  They resolved it…Eventually.

Edit to add (June 2020): The 2019 Thor Vegas: The backup camera stopped working after 13 moths of owning it. It’s been repaired. 

Next up…

USE/STORE SWITCH STUCK

(2017 Thor Axis)

A switch that was always sticking…it took two service visits before it was fixed.

Moving on…

OUT OF ALIGNMENT

(2017 Thor Axis)

As soon as we bought it, it was out of alignment.  That was never resolved because the service centers couldn’t test it and the vehicle was always in repair for the battery not remaining charged.

Moving on…

POCKET DOOR WOULDN’T SLIDE, LATCHES WOULDN’T STAY CLOSED

(2017 Thor Axis)

There was a pocket door that separated the bedroom from the rest of the RV.  It was warped and the door would not slide; and the magnetic/latching handles on the sliding door do not stay closed.  These aren’t a big deal except that 1) they continue to provide insight into the poor craftsmanship, and 2) it was just another thing that had to be repaired.

Next…

DINETTE TABLE LOOSE

(2017 Thor Axis)

Speaking of poor craftsmanship, the dinette was always loose.  The screw hole was stripped.  They tightened it multiple times, but it was never solid.

Next up…

ARMOIRE SHELF INCORRECT SIZE

(2017 Thor Axis)

This just adds to how poor the craftsmanship was in our Axis: the shelf was too small for inside the closet/armoire.  It wouldn’t stay up, so it would fall down when we drove, so we had to take it out.  As the repair notes show, it just wasn’t wide enough.  Having things loose or the incorrect size is a pattern.

NAILS POKING THROUGH WALL

(2017 Thor Axis)

There were small nails poking out (pointy end out) of walls as well as through the wood under the sofa cushion.  Again: poor craftsmanship.

And…

WINDOW SHADE WRONG SIZE–TWICE!

(2017 Thor Axis)

The window shade for the window at the dinette was too small, so it wouldn’t stay in or would get stuck, affecting our ability to open or close the window.  When they replaced it, the second one didn’t fit.  It took the third shade before we got the right size.  That’s something important to remember here: it often takes one, two, maybe three times to get the same problem fixed, for even something as simple as a window shade.

And a possible issue:

ON THE OUTSIDE, WATER POURS DOWN OVER TV AND ELECTRICAL OUTLET

(2019 Thor Vegas)

I’m concerned about having water pour down electrical equipment and outlets, when we have the A/C on.  The service department is going to look into whether it’s debris up in the gutter, or a hole in the awning, or what.

And here are just a few more issues that I won’t continue to detail…

POOR WATER PRESSURE IN SHOWER (2017 Thor Axis); GENERATOR WOULDN’T ENGAGE WITHOUT MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS EACH TIME (2017 Thor Axis); BROKEN COUNTERTOP THAT FLAPPED AGAINST THE SINK (2019 Thor Vegas); USB PORT PULLED OUT OF THE WALL (2017 Thor Axis); CAP TO BEDROOM LIGHT WOULD NOT STAY SECURED, CONTINUED FALLING ON OUR HEADS (2017 Thor Axis); WINDOW TREATMENT TRIM NOT SCREWED IN (2019 Thor Vegas); TRIM AROUND BED FALLING OFF (2019 Thor Vegas); TRIM NEAR DOOR FALLING OFF (2017 Thor Vegas); DVD PLAYER DIDN’T FUNCTION PROPERLY (2017 Thor Axis);

and the SEAT BOLT (2019 Thor Vegas) One additional problem we had, I feel is a combination of user error and a weak/loose seat bolt.  When I closed the slideout of our 2019 Thor Vegas, it pushed into the driver’s seat.  That bent the seat bolt, and the seat now rotates, unable to be secured, which is dangerous when driving.  It took a few months to get the part in, and it’s currently in for repair.

Edit to add in 2020: We had the trim around the windshield flapping in the wind as we drove along a desert road in New Mexico.  My husband had to keep getting out to repair it.  We were on the side of the road duct taping our RV together.  To remind you, it’s one year old.

–END OF LIST OF DEFECTS–

We really did have plans of our second retirement (my husband already retired once, after 20 years of serving in the Air Force, then went to work in the civilian world) being full-timers. There’s just no way. I don’t understand where full-timers live for the months at a time that their RV could be in the shop, and I don’t want my life to be dictated by how long my home is going to be unlivable or undrivable.

We had to cancel trip after trip.  It’s flat-out devastating.  I spent several months planning a grand road trip up the New England coast, all the way to Prince Edward’s Island, and looping back through Quebec and down.  It was going to be amazing.  Unfortunately, the busted bearing happened, and we had to cancel the entire trip.

Edit to add in October 2020: yep, all fall trips cancelled. That needs to be your expectation when buying an RV: You WILL be cancelling trips.  You WILL have interrupted trips.

For three years, we’ve had inoperable or defective Thors.

The fact that some issues were repeated in both vehicles (loose wheel trim, things cut the wrong size, loose wiring/cables, trim falling off, etc…), it demonstrates that Thor is not working hard enough (if at all) to build a better, safer product.  They’re not being held accountable.

Some say to treat the purchase of an RV not like a car purchase, but like a home purchase. That analogy doesn’t hold water with me. You don’t buy a brand new house wondering if you’re going to be able to live in it or not. You don’t buy a brand new finished home and expect the builder to have to rebuild it for two years. That’s not how home-buying works and it isn’t how RV-buying should work. 

What’s the solution?

If you sue, please don’t settle.  Let it go to jury trial.  Juries and judges need to see what’s happening.  Settlements let the RV manufacturers off the hook.  The companies don’t fully compensate you, and there’s no guilty verdict.  I 100% regret settling.  I now will have to sue again, if I want them to take this one back.  If I had stuck with the original lawsuit, our court date would have just passed.  Now, if I sue again, I’ll be starting a whole new process that takes about two years from start to finish.  Meanwhile, I have an RV I do not feel safe in.  How do you feel safe in vehicles when wheels are falling off and they’re not going into park?  Answer: You don’t.

Stop buying new RVs! RVers say that if you buy one that’s a few years old, the kinks have already been worked out by the original owners. In addition, though, it’s one less new RV that the manufacturers are making money on.  If people aren’t buying, manufacturers lose money.

Take money away from them before they take your dream away from you.

About Post Author

Kari Martindale

Kari Martindale likes words, so she uses them a lot. Kari sits on the Board of Maryland Writers' Association and is involved with various nonprofits. She writes spoken word poetry, children's books, and other stuff, like whatever blog post you just read. Kari has visited over 35 countries and all 50 States, and is always planning her next road trip. She likes her family a lot; they tolerate her just fine.

kariann.marti@gmail.com

https://karilogue.com

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