Disappointed in Thor

[george37]

I bought a Thor ACE 29D thinking it was put together fairly well. Big surprise, the material they used for wood is pure crap. The lease amount of water touches it, it falls apart. I have already replaced the cabinet on the counter next to the sink. Now the material that makes up the base cabinet is falling apart. The shower pan has gotten soft around the drain. This is a 2023 model with 3200 miles on it. So sorry I bought it.

[wildtoad]

Originally Posted by george37

I bought a Thor ACE 29D thinking it was put together fairly well. Big surprise, the material they used for wood is pure crap. The lease amount of water touches it, it falls apart. I have already replaced the cabinet on the counter next to the sink. Now the material that makes up the base cabinet is falling apart. The shower pan has gotten soft around the drain. This is a 2023 model with 3200 miles on it. So sorry I bought it.

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. Unfortunately your situation is typical of many lower end RV's. heck even many of the more upscale units have build issues.

[rosshmchief]

I bought a 2025 Thor Palazzo 33.6 August 2024 from Crappy World. Will keep this for about a year and trade up which will be easy to do. I like the Frieghtliner chassis, Cummings diesel engine but what Ford Thor has built on both is below subpar. Day 1 out of alignment, shower leak, back up camera requests firmware update; can't see backing up, overhead bed not sync, frig not cooling; had power, 2 ac vents broke, 4 usb's only one work for Apple Play and broke when I disconnected; usb on radio with blue light should work for AP; nope have yet to figure out what its for; probably firmware update not done by Crappy World, cargo bay sticks at top; have to pull from bottom and YANK to the point the plastic latch might break, find screws on floor; can't find where they came from.


Crappy World had rig for months for repairs. Cargo door not fixed. I fixed with taking latch apart to ensure no plastic burs. Teflon spray, put back together and fixed.


Firmware update not fixed. Still can't see backing up. I know it sucks!


Shower fixed


USB not fixed; no Apple Car Play or Waze


Alignment I paid to have fix


Two AC vents fixed


The best one yet, the fridge. Oh the fridge. 2nd fridge ordered and received after waiting months. Thor punctured compressor line when securing. So say Crappy World. 2nd new fridge installed but Crappy World did same thing Thor did. Puncture compression line. 3rd new fridge installed and cooling. However, there is a big crashing sound as I turn left. Crappy World failed to secure fridge. All they did was connect and push in. I'm 10 miles from the Crappy World I bought it from. I can't drive it with an unsecured fridge. Called and was promised a tech would be sent to my location, which is at a military FamCamp, waiting to go south. Promise was tech will be on-site three different dates and times. No show. Then promised before Christmas, no show. It's Jan 10th and fridge is still unsecured. i can't make this up. You decide if you want to buy a Thor product at a Crappy World.

[Rob392]

Originally Posted by rosshmchief

You decide if you want to buy a Thor product at a Crappy World.

There are several thoughts that come to mind with this statement.


1. Which of the many Thor products should you actually buy based on consumer reviews and independent research?

2. In retrospect, an independent certified RV inspector would have discovered many of these issues prior to putting your signature on the purchase order.
3. You will have a relationship with the dealer for at least the warranty period. Somethings can be fixed yourself, others need the dealer. The dealer's reputation for standing behind the customer and getting issues resolved is vital.

[RVfixit]

So many things to add here...

When I decided to buy a new 5th wheel it came down to budget first, then the best of the worst I could buy within the budget I was trying to stick too. I ended up with a 2016 Keystone Cougar which has been good so far but was not without its challenges. The Dealer I bought it from was useless after delivery. I had issues with one AC unit freezing up and was told to make an appointment and come back in 6 months. Forget that, I fixed it myself. The freeze sensor fell out of the evap coil, reinserted, secured it, done. The dealer wouldn't give me the time of day 2 days after I took delivery.

As a new customer, I get 10% off on parts and supplies which is great, but they never have anything in stock and special orders don't count.

My point here is, whether you spend a little on an entry level unit or a lot on a top of the line model, none are without issues. Yes, the cheaper you go, the cheaper the materials used but the build quality tends to be crappy across the board for so many brands and units.

Hopefully the pain will end soon and you get to enjoy the RV as you intended when you bought it!

Good Luck and Safe Travels!

[Zonnie699]

Thor has always had a bad reputation.If you do research before purchasing you should have seen the good and bad. I would much rather get an older Newmar or Tiffin then a new Thor.

[Sweetbriar]

Originally Posted by Zonnie699

Thor has always had a bad reputation.If you do research before purchasing you should have seen the good and bad. I would much rather get an older Newmar or Tiffin then a new Thor.

Considering a majority of the postings on this site are from owners with problems the Thor Owners Forum has a total of 9,084 threads and 104,785 posts while Newmar a much smaller production manufacture has 42,454 threads and 524,848 posts and Tiffin, also a small production manufacture when compared to Thor, has 14,280 threads with 124,156 posts. If you keep going Winnebago, Monaco, Fleetwood and Entegra all have higher numbers that Thor.

Again most owners post with problems and not praise so why are the numbers so low for Thor, the largest manufacturer by volume of RVs and much high for the other major manufactures? If Thor has such a bad reputation why are the numbers not supporting?

[d23haynes57]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

Considering a majority of the postings on this site are from owners with problems the Thor Owners Forum has a total of 9,084 threads and 104,785 posts while Newmar a much smaller production manufacture has 42,454 threads and 524,848 posts and Tiffin, also a small production manufacture when compared to Thor, has 14,280 threads with 124,156 posts. If you keep going Winnebago, Monaco, Fleetwood and Entegra all have higher numbers that Thor.

Again most owners post with problems and not praise so why are the numbers so low for Thor, the largest manufacturer by volume of RVs and much high for the other major manufactures? If Thor has such a bad reputation why are the numbers not supporting?

As for the numbers of owners posting about their rigs they are likely skewed by brand-model. Owners of certain brands-models tend to be enthusiasts and are more likely to participate on forums like this one. It would be interesting to see the numbers of participants of new versus used or older rigs.

[MacDaddy1111]

Originally Posted by george37

I bought a Thor ACE 29D thinking it was put together fairly well. Big surprise, the material they used for wood is pure crap. The lease amount of water touches it, it falls apart. I have already replaced the cabinet on the counter next to the sink. Now the material that makes up the base cabinet is falling apart. The shower pan has gotten soft around the drain. This is a 2023 model with 3200 miles on it. So sorry I bought it.

Welcome to the party! I could write a book on what a disaster Thor products are! Only saving grace is I have awesome repair shop and 7 year warranty!

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

Considering a majority of the postings on this site are from owners with problems the Thor Owners Forum has a total of 9,084 threads and 104,785 posts while Newmar a much smaller production manufacture has 42,454 threads and 524,848 posts and Tiffin, also a small production manufacture when compared to Thor, has 14,280 threads with 124,156 posts. If you keep going Winnebago, Monaco, Fleetwood and Entegra all have higher numbers that Thor.

Again most owners post with problems and not praise so why are the numbers so low for Thor, the largest manufacturer by volume of RVs and much high for the other major manufactures? If Thor has such a bad reputation why are the numbers not supporting?

You listed motorized units. Keep in mind, allot Thor products are also trailers and 5th wheel units from different brands. How many of the issues listed in Travel Trailer/ 5th wheel discussions are about Thor products?
https://ir.thorindustries.com/invest...r/default.aspx
You will notice Entegra is a Thor product, as is Tiffin now.

[Sweetbriar]

Originally Posted by d23haynes57

As for the numbers of owners posting about their rigs they are likely skewed by brand-model. Owners of certain brands-models tend to be enthusiasts and are more likely to participate on forums like this one. It would be interesting to see the numbers of participants of new versus used or older rigs.

What might have a larger roll in this rather than owner enthusiasm is Thor's focus on the low cost entry level market that are not intended to last much more than say 10 or even 15 years while the higher end models of both Tiffin and Newmar are still on the road 15 or more years post production many with full time owners but with limited builder support for the overall coach or the third party appliances.

I've owned a Thor product for 14 years, 70,000 miles, 9700 gallon of fuel, 250 trips and 5630 nights (yes i log it all). It certainly hasn't been perfect but it's never left us on the side of the road, forced the early end of an outing or seen the parking lot of an RV service center. Will my next rig be a Thor product? Probably not but only because they don't have a floor plan or options I'm looking for.

[boiledowl]

My observations and advice from others since being a member on here are that all motor homes both new and used are going to have problems. Regardless new or used get it inspected by independent professional. Camping World and General RV salesman are not your friends and quite a few of the them haven't a clue about what they sell. Thor does not have a very good reputation and be very wary when buying one of their many products.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

You listed motorized units. Keep in mind, allot Thor products are also trailers and 5th wheel units from different brands. How many of the issues listed in Travel Trailer/ 5th wheel discussions are about Thor products?
https://ir.thorindustries.com/invest...r/default.aspx
You will notice Entegra is a Thor product, as is Tiffin now.

Thor MC Plant 750 (Class A gas motor coaches - 24 to 35 ft) produces more gas coaches in one month than Newmar does in a year and more than Winnebago does in 4 months. Thor MC's main competitors are Forest River, REV and Coachman in Class A gas coaches. 49% of all the gas class A coaches first registered 2022 were Thor Industries coaches according to FOMOCO. By the way Ford does not produce the chassis. It is Detroit Chassis that build the chassis to Ford's specifications.


According to Cummins 55% of the X15 engines sold for RVs went in Spartan chassis for Entegra Cornerstone coaches.

All I am trying to say is Thor MC plant 750 builds and a lot of motor coaches. MHSRV is the largest single location seller of Thor MC products. When I bought my coach, they had 42 Hurricane/Windsports in stock. Today they show 4 in-stock with one sold.

[Jubilee Life]

I have owned 2 Thor Rvs, one was a small bumper pull and the other is a Hurricane. We bought the bumper pull new and had every problem you can think of culminating in turning over to a repair place with title so he could dispose of it. Our Hurricane also has problems, however the previous owner did the shake down and we received the benefit. Two take aways; 1) Thor is a low end manufacturer and for those of us that have low income we can enjoy the RV life. 2) Taking a structure through an earthquake causes damage.

RV life is about mobility and there is a cost. After touring both Newmar and Thor manufacturing plants I have determined the real difference is customer service. If you can afford it and are not very handy buy a higher end model and schedule regular maintenance trips. If you don't have the money but are handy then buy a Thor and bring a toolbox on every trip.

I have found extremely valuable information from online sources that has made it possible to be a full time RVer and don't have plans on getting off the road anytime soon.