AI Damage1997 Fleetwood Discovery: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Fleetwood Discovery filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about visibility and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 13
What fails most often
- 1 Visibility 31% of all complaints
- 2 Exterior lighting 23% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 15% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Latches, locks, linkages 8% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 8% of all complaints
- Visibility: 4 complaints (31% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 3 complaints (23% of all).
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (15% of all).
- Equipment: 2 complaints (15% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 13 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 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.
He then discovered that the headlight wires were melted. The contact repaired the failure and both the dealer and manufacturer were notified. The failure mileage was 105,200 and the current mileage was 105,663.
During a recent trip the motorhome experienced three blowouts, the tires had 33000 miles on it (michelin size 235/80r/22.5 xtrv tires).
On the date indicated, while the motorhome was plugged into 115v 30 amp a/c power, with one roof air conditioner operating, an electrical fire occurred in the junction box. The fire, apparently caused by a short circuit, consumed a considerable amount of wiring insulation.
When headlights were turned on electrical wiring and headlight switch started melting, there was smoke under dash. Consumer could only drive during day time.
Insurance investagater said fire due to faulty heater circut board, this caused fan to come on blowing fire through motorhome, other owners of this type of motorhome should be informed to the posiblity of fires, if we were in the motorhome we could have been seriously injured or killed.
While vehicle was parked in consumer's driveway it caught on fire, and was completely destroyed. An allstate insurance inspector stated that circuit board in front heating vent was faulty and failed. This resulted in fan coming on and remaining on .
While operating motorhome at highway speed, its fuel line ruptured, resulting in diesel fuel seepage throughout motorhome.
Magic chef range: top forward valve sticks in on position and can't be turned off. Turned all the propane off, and still it was on. Contacted dealer, and replaced the forward valve. However, it happened again. Serial# to the range 10885756sh and model#85tb3bk.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,843 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 27% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Discovery has 7 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 13, above average.
What to check before buying
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
- Discovery 19963 sources
- Discovery 199818 sources
- Discovery 199916 sources
- Discovery 20009 sources
- Discovery 20019 sources
- Discovery 20036 sources
- Discovery 200412 sources
- Discovery 200517 sources
- Discovery 20069 sources
- Discovery 20074 sources
- Discovery 20083 sources
- Discovery 20207 sources
- Discovery 20215 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Fleetwood Discovery?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: visibility, exterior lighting, electrical system. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (31%), A/C or heater (15%), headlights and tail lights (15%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Fleetwood Discovery?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1997 Fleetwood Discovery from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1997 models
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.