2004 Fleetwood Southwind: common problems

Owners of the 2004 Fleetwood Southwind filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and equipment. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 13

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 46% of all complaints
2 Equipment 23% of all complaints
3 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
4 Structure 8% of all complaints
5 Visibility 8% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 6 complaints (46% of all).
Equipment: 3 complaints (23% of all).
Fuel system: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Structure: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Visibility: 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).

smoke, burning smell, fire3 · 23%
brake failure2 · 15%
windows, sunroof2 · 15%
fuel system, fuel smell1 · 8%
overheating, coolant loss1 · 8%
stalls while driving1 · 8%
warning lights, check engine1 · 8%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Service brakes	6	0	0
Equipment	3	0	0
Fuel system	1	0	0
Structure	1	0	0
Visibility	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.

No incident has happen yet the side windows has double pain the gas has cloudle to a point when the sun is heating up the glass that it restrict the view in the right side mirror that.
Visibility · 2015-02-16 · NHTSA complaint #10683637
Our rv norcold refrigerator's alarm sounded. The fault says no co--no cooling unit. Norcold sent the high temperature sensor part as our refrigerator/cooling unit is under recall; it was installed by rv service center on 8/8/13.
Equipment · 2013-08-18 · NHTSA complaint #10535996
The contact noticed smoke coming from under the vehicle. The contact used the fire extinguisher before the fire erupted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection or repair. The failure was reported to the manufacturer.
Equipment · 2013-06-24 · NHTSA complaint #10521526
The contact stated while driving 55 mph the contact smelled an unusual odor near the brakes and the abs light came on. The contact called the manufacturer and they stated that the dealer should perform a diagnostic test and if the test does not show results of brake damage the contact will be responsible for the…
Service brakes · 2010-08-13 · NHTSA complaint #10349264
Loss of brakes in mountains due to over heating. Rear wheels smoking and too hot to touch. Pulled of into rest area and stayed there for 4 hours to let brakes cool down. After stopping brake pedal went to the floor until things cooled down and then pumped the brakes to get to camp ground 8 miles away.
Service brakes · 2010-08-11 · NHTSA complaint #10348716
The contact received recall#50901-c from workhorse in regards to the hydraulic brake failure. The abs light illuminated due to the left rear brake caliper failure which burned the abs sensor in june 2009. On august 14, 2009, the right rear brake caliper also failed. The rv motor home is being repaired by the dealer.
Service brakes · 2009-08-17 · NHTSA complaint #10280634
When I was at the dealer I was being advised on how to open the escape window in the bedroom. After opening the latches the person had to hit the window and push on it many times. I do not believe my wife could have opened this window if there was a fire.
Structure · 2005-02-23 · NHTSA complaint #10112073
While driving at any speed the trailer stalled. Trailer was serviced 4 times, and is currently at the dealership for this problem, in which the fuel pump relay was replaced.
Fuel system · 2004-10-27 · NHTSA complaint #10097867

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20042
20051
20093
20103
20111
20132
20151

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 Southwind has 5 complaints (33 years in the data). This year has 13, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2004 Fleetwood Southwind?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, equipment, fuel system. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (23%), brake failure (15%), windows, sunroof (15%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Fleetwood Southwind?

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 2004 Fleetwood Southwind 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 2004 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.