AI DamageCoachmen Santara: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Coachmen Santara across 11 model years: 29 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Tires 31% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 24% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 7% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 3% of all complaints
- Tires: 9 complaints (31% of all).
- Service brakes: 7 complaints (24% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (7% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 2 complaints (7% of all).
- Steering: 2 complaints (7% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 29 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tl* the contact owns a 1993 coachman santara equipped with bct radio a/p tires (n/a) (lt 235/85/r16) dot oj21xa3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the driver of the vehicle noticed that the rear passenger side outer tire had blown out.
The contact noticed that the dometic refrigerator had become inoperable and there was fire coming from the exterior of the vehicle where the refrigerator was housed. The contact was able to extinguish the fire and contacted an independent repair shop.
Tl contact owns a 1996 ford coachman santara rv. While the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 35 mph the contact attempted to brake and noticed that the brake pedal had to be pressed to the floor in order to stop the vehicle.
Knock! Knock! Knock!! And we immediately lost power I veered off the side of the road I was able to get safely off the road. We had to be towed to a dealership, the dealership called me monday and advised that the spark plug had blown out of the engine head,I never heard of such a thing they tell me the engine head is…
Tl contact owns a 1999 coachmen santara. The contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control in september of 2007. The dealer advised him to bring in the vehicle and they disconnected the cruise control.
Dt*: the contact stated the engine stalled while driving 5 mph. The vehicle would not restart, and was towed to an authorized service dealer, where the fuel lifter pump was found to be the cause of the stalling. This was the 6th pump to be replaced in 8 years.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.