1998 Winnebago Adventurer: common problems

Owners of the 1998 Winnebago Adventurer filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 6

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 33% of all complaints
2 Electrical system 17% of all complaints
3 Parking brake 17% of all complaints
4 Structure 17% of all complaints
5 Tires 17% of all complaints

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

Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (33% of all).
Electrical system: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Parking brake: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Structure: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Tires: 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).

stalls while driving2 · 33%
rollaway, parking brake1 · 17%
steering or power steering problems1 · 17%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Engine and cooling	2	0	0
Electrical system	1	0	0
Parking brake	1	0	0
Structure	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.

Dt: goodyear tires blew out on the front right driver's side and 6 months later the front passenger's side tire also blewout. Goodyear, 1998, radial tires, 245/70r19.5. The tires had about 40,000 miles on them when they blewout. These were the recommended size tire for the winnebago.
Tires · 2005-06-29 · NHTSA complaint #10127012
The lamination on each side near the rear of vehicle was peeling off. Consumer fears that if the peeling continues the end caps that hold the two corners down will eventually snap off while in traffic. Manufacturer have been notified of the problem.
Structure · 2003-09-08 · NHTSA complaint #10038451
Parking brake engaged while in motion. Switch failed on auto park brake system, causing loss of hydraulic fluid and lockup. Luckily was moving slowly to parking area, could have been a real problem because we had been traveling on a narrow two lane highway with zero shoulder.
Parking brake · 2003-05-13 · NHTSA complaint #10018642
In a moderate to heavy rain the air filter becomes saturated with water causing the engine to run rough or stall. I have had the engine stall on a busy interstate highway going 60 mph.
Engine and cooling · 2000-09-14 · NHTSA complaint #730425
On a ford chassis, v10 triton engine; in a significant amount of rain storm, air filter gets saturated with rain which causes filter to get clogged up, and vehicle will stall unexpectedly which may cause a crash. Manufacturer is aware of the problem, but has no solution other than don't drive vehicle in the rain.
Engine and cooling · 2000-09-06 · NHTSA complaint #869709
There were no power steering or power brakes when this happened. Adventurer started again after pulling some of the fuses which were not blown out. Manufacturer has been notified about the problem. Vehicle taken to dealer but the problem could not be fixed and still exists.
Electrical system · 2000-06-06 · NHTSA complaint #863092

When owners complained

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

20003
20032
20051

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 Adventurer has 7 complaints (29 years in the data). This year has 6, about average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1998 Winnebago Adventurer?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, electrical system, parking brake. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (33%), rollaway, parking brake (17%), steering or power steering problems (17%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Winnebago Adventurer?

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 Winnebago Adventurer 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.