AI Damage1998 Fleetwood Storm: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Fleetwood Storm filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about parking brake and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 6
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Parking brake 33% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 17% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 17% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 17% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- Parking brake: 2 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (17% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (17% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (17% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 6 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking brake | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 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.
System failed second time while in motion leaving vehicle with no parking brake about 3 months ago. System failed again on february 24, 2004 with system locked in park.
Tl*- the contact stated that the dometic refrigerator rm, 71703748 in the 1998 fleetwood storm with 89000 current mileage was part of recall 06e076000. The contact complained that it was impossible to get in contact with dometic to order the part. There had been no failure to date.
The consumer suspected the phenolic piston caused the brake to lock and overheat. The failure was on a flat surface and normal braking conditions.
Automatic parking brake failure--brake engaged while motorhome in motion, causing brake pads and drum to severly overheat, ruining components and making parking brake inoperative. Apparently, a pressure sensing switch began leaking fluid, which caused the brakes to engage while my wife was driving down the highway.
When the tire failed, which is certainly not an unknown occurrance in any vehicle, the tire tread severed and shreded this entire wiring bundle including ripping wires through the floor of the motorhome.
The vehicle continually shuts down in hot weather and in higher elevation areas, engine light comes on when engine dies.
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 13,278 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 36% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Storm has 3 complaints (15 years in the data). This year has 6, above average.
What to check before buying
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Fleetwood Storm?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: parking brake, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: overheating, coolant loss (33%), rollaway, parking brake (33%), brake failure (17%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Fleetwood Storm?
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 1998 Fleetwood Storm 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 1998 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.