Fleetwood Storm Quality?

[Ret.LEO]

Hi, we have always thought when my wife retired (I'm disabled) we would probably get either a 28-31ft Class C or a 32 or so TT. Recently I saw a Storm for sale. For what I saw in the pics and features a used 2015-2015 Storm is starting to look pretty sweet.
How is the quality reputation for this model? We are looking under 80K for a good lower mileage model.
With my physical limitations a Class A would probably be the easiest for me to set up, take down etc. Plus having on a onboard gen. is a big advantage vs TT. How is the reputation of the fridges? Honestly the gas/elec. absorption fridge fire issue scares the hell out of me. I saw too many people who had burned to death.......not the way I would want to go out. I would either retro a residential fridge in or do the Amish conversion.

[LETMGROW]

The Storm is an entry level coach. It's not a Newmar but you won't be paying a Newmar price. The cabinetry is more cheaply made but quite functional. The appliances are base models unless the previous owner(s) elected to up grade them. There is nothing wrong with them they just don't have all the bells and whistles the more costly brands have.
There is some truth to the saying, "You get what you pay for".
The Storm will get you from place to place without much trouble. Sometimes all those fancy do dads on the higher end coaches are troublesome.
Buy what you feel comfortable with within your budget. You can add upgrades later if you feel the need.
The newer refrigerators are much better and safer than the older ones. Having a combination electric and propane fridge is a must for me as I camp without hookups often. I don't need a Mega battery bank to keep the fridge running all night and then have to run my generator for hours to recharge the batteries or add hundreds of dollars of solar panels to keep the batteries up.
My water heater and furnace are propane powered so I have to fill the tank once in a while. Not a huge expense. Probably less than the fuel to run a generator when you need it.
Regardless of what you buy I hope you enjoy it.
Lynn

[ualdriver]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

Hi, we have always thought when my wife retired (I'm disabled) we would probably get either a 28-31ft Class C or a 32 or so TT. Recently I saw a Storm for sale. For what I saw in the pics and features a used 2015-2015 Storm is starting to look pretty sweet.
How is the quality reputation for this model? We are looking under 80K for a good lower mileage model.
With my physical limitations a Class A would probably be the easiest for me to set up, take down etc. Plus having on a onboard gen. is a big advantage vs TT. How is the reputation of the fridges? Honestly the gas/elec. absorption fridge fire issue scares the hell out of me. I saw too many people who had burned to death.......not the way I would want to go out. I would either retro a residential fridge in or do the Amish conversion.

I had a 2012 Fleetwood Storm and we liked it fine. As described above, it’s not a high end gasser but it suited us fine. The only major problem we had with it was the generator quitting at high ambient temperatures. There is a kit you can get from Fleetwood to fix the problem but of course that costs time and money. I’d make sure that the generator problem was either fixed by the 2015 models or have the kit installed if it wasn’t fixed by then.

[Bsqrd]

I have a 2017. Will never buy another Fleetwood product. This is the case where I did not get what I paid for. See the link below.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...4&share_type=t

[Gary RVRoamer]

The Storm is as good as any in its price class, but that class is a low, aka entry-level, one. It's not as well-made or equipped as the more upscale (and up-priced) Fleetwood coaches, or higher price competitive brands either.

I think you can get a similar size Winnebago Vista for around the same price and I would lean that way. Itasca Sunstar is the same coach. Tiffin (Allegro) has a few in that range as well.


The appliances and systems in that tier of class A motorhome are no different than in trailers or Class C coaches. No better and no worse. If you are alarmed about having an RV absorption type fridge, find one with a residential-type fridge or plan on converting it once you get it. You will need and inverter and more battery capacity, though. Noy a huge amount more, but probably more than the default.

[Dov327]

We bought it used two years ago. Again entry level but built fine. We have had it out for several thousand miles in that time and she has done fine. Went to Ashville across to Tenn and back to Florida and she ran great. At 28-feet fine for two people and three fur babies.

Only issue we have is the 28MS does not have a couch just a large table area. Bot super comfortable for TV at night. Considering removing and installing a couch in the space. Bathroom is small but usable. Storage without the rear slide is huge. We have plenty inside and out for storage.

We enjoy it and for short trips and stuff it is the perfect size. That being said, we are looking at upgrading since in retirement we may do longer times out and would appreciate more room and amenities.

She really has held up well. We did and Safe T Plus to front end which improved handling greatly. If we keep her forever, sumo chocks and sway bar upgrades will be done.

[denverh]

I have a 2013 storm 32bh which is the bunk house model. Have gone cross country from no to San Francisco twice and Florida every snowbird season. I have 54000 on mine and it runs well. I have absorption frig and it keeps ice and ice cream frozen. I do boondocking on the road so I prefer it. Tow a Ford Escape on tow dolly on florida trips with no problem. Driven the Rockies,cascades,Sierra nevadas, Yellowstone, glacier np, Oregon coast and it performed perfectly. Only issue is material used on capt chairs. As said it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but has everything we need. Less to break down or go fluey.

[PetesMH]

We have a 2016 Storm 32v and just returned from a very trouble free 6500 mile trip. Our Storm replaced a similar size 2017 Winnebago Vista that we were happy to trade. It’s true that the Storm is a more basic model than some but it costs less and works fine. As with all coaches you may (or may not) have problems with it if you buy one. It’s interesting to me that they became much more upscale in 2017 and 2018 and I think they were discontinued because they were pulling sales from the Bounders. It is not the entry level line - that would be the Flair. I’d suggest you do (or hire) a very thorough inspection and if it passes go ahead and buy with confidence. The previous owner should have most of the bugs worked out by now. Good luck!

[wayno347]

Beware: Fleetwood and quality don't go together. Bought a new 2016 Bounder..one issue after another, had to lemon law because of chassis brake issues, Ford paid me $15,000 "to buy my peace."
Poor QC is rampant across the RV industry, Fleetwood seems to have a big share of it too. Sorry.

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by wayno347

Beware: Fleetwood and quality don't go together. Bought a new 2016 Bounder..one issue after another, had to lemon law because of chassis brake issues, Ford paid me $15,000 "to buy my peace."
Poor QC is rampant across the RV industry, Fleetwood seems to have a big share of it too. Sorry.

You had issues with the FORD chassis but complain about Fleetwood's quality?
Lynn

[Sasquatch 2]

We have a 2013 Storm 32V that we purchased in 2018.

We wanted an entry level Class A after we retired to see if we enjoyed RV’ing and to see if we were travelers or if we preferred to camp out in one place for extended periods of time.

When we bought it, I added sumo springs and steering stabilizer for my peace of mind in addition to a warranty through Wholesale Warranties so if/when things went wrong I would be protected.

The good: We can fit anywhere we like to go (state parks) and it’s very easy to maneuver. The auto levelers work fine and the fridge keeps my wife’s ice frozen. And at 6’6” I can still fit in the shower. It drives great and isn’t so noisy that we are unable to have a conversation.

The bad: On our first 5K trip the parking brake lost a bearing and the brake is located between the engine and transmission. Warranty covered it.

While we were in Arizona in the summer, the generator lost the stator, again warranty covered it.

The captain’s chairs material is poor quality and flakes. The cabinets are not solid wood.

The one air conditioner struggles to cool in the desert heat but worked fine it the other states.

The lower payments on our Storm allow us to spend more time traveling and having fun but it would be nice to have the added amenities.
Now that we know we love the lifestyle and what type of RV’ers we are, we are discussing if the added expense for a diesel with the amenities is worth giving up some of the moving around we enjoy.

[udid]

Bought my 94 Storm in 2014 and it is very well made and very reliable. An added plus is the ease of working on it (simple). No auto-park system, no levelers to fail, no slides to fail etc...

[Jim.B1]

Originally Posted by wayno347

Beware: Fleetwood and quality don't go together. Bought a new 2016 Bounder..one issue after another, had to lemon law because of chassis brake issues, Ford paid me $15,000 "to buy my peace."
Poor QC is rampant across the RV industry, Fleetwood seems to have a big share of it too. Sorry.

Sorry, but I would disagree, and say Fleetwood and quality "do" go together.
We have a 2014 Southwind and have only required a few minor adjustments.
Fleetwood have been very supportive in all of our communications and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Fleetwood product.
After reading the iRV posts it is very common for "any" manufacturer to have issues.
I do agree the RV Industry is known for quality control issues but based on the comments I read on this forum about quality issues, I would not say Fleetwood has a "big share" of the problems, at least the Fleetwood owners are not posting their problems.
You got a lemon, unfortunate and frustrating yes, but it sounds like you did receive some support from Ford.
I always say, in business things can happen, it is how a company handles the issues that make the difference.

[Jimg]

I agree with Jim B.

I have a 2018 Southwind 36P we purchased new in Feb of 2018. It is our 6th RV and fourth class A .

We already have 24k on it and have had it to 24 states. Had a recall on replacement of the satellite mounting brackets and a bad step motor. Fleetwood took care of both.
Otherwise it has performed very well and the fit and finish is as good as any gas class A I have seen including Tiffin and Newmar.

My communications with customer service has been excellent and they have been very responsive to my inquiries for manuals and info.

That being said, anyone who does not have a basic understanding of electric, plumbing and carpentry will have a lot of complains and will spend a lot of time at repair shops. It is also very important to inspect every component of an RV very closely before taking delivery to avoid trips to the shop.

I am on forums with Tiffin, Winnebago, Forest River and Fleetwood. All are the same, motorhomes have problems.

It is too bad that Ford is about the only chassis available for gas coaches. As fast as they turn them out of the factory they are sometimes prone to problems. When purchasing a new RV you should not have to worry about mechanical problems with the chassis.

But our experience so far has been that Fleetwood has had as good or better quality and customer service as any RV we have owned.