We took delivery of a new american eagle 42 ' 11. Foot motor home model 42f on may 21, 2008 this vehicle is designed to carry 14,600 lb. If fully loaded this would create a dangerous situation. If you loaded this motor home to full capacity of water, fuel, passenger (2) weights the front axle would exceed the rating on the front axle. Upon reviewing our motorhome for he first time on may 21, 2008 (we were not allowed to view motorhome until contracts were signed) we noticed that the new models 2009 american eagle had bigger rims, tires and after further inquiry the front axle had been changed from 14600 lb to 16600 we contacted fleetwood and asked why these changes were made. We were told that there was a overweight problem if we carried full capaticy on fuel, water and they recommended that we carry less fuel & waterl, cargo, propane when traveling. We were also told that the problem was under investigation and that the issue would be corrected. To date an offer has been made by spartan chassis that they would correct the problem if we drove 2500 miles to michigan one way, and paid $18995.00 to have the rims, tires, and axle upgraded to be in compliance with the 2009 motorhomes. Fleetwood and spartan know and knew that they had a problem which is why they upgraded the 2009 coaches to correct the front axle weight problem.
The worst 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Suspension5
- Body1
- Tires1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension5
- Body1
- Tires1
Recalls 3
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Fleetwood is recalling 65 my 2008-2009 american allegiance, american eagle, american heritage, american tradition, and revolution l.e. Motor homes. These motor homes fail to comply with the requirements of part 567, "certification." the label was printed with the rear and intermediate tire psi rating reversed.
- Risk
- A misprinted label could lead to improper vehicle loading or tire inflation which could result in tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with corrected certification labels and installation instructions. A dealer can install this label for the owner at no charge. The recall began on october 9, 2008. Owners may contact fleetwood at 1‑800‑509‑3418.
Recall number 08V502000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Fleetwood is recalling 226 my 2008-2009 american allegiance, american eagle, american heritage, american tradition, bounder, bounder diesel, discovery, excursion, expedition, fiesta lx, pace arrow, providence, revolution le, southwind, class a motor homes, and icon, jamboree, jamboree gt, jamboree sport, pulse, tioga, and tioga ranger class c motor homes. These motor homes fail to comply with the requirements of the code of federal regulations, part 567, 'certification.' the occupant and cargo carrying capacity were calculated incorrectly allowing additional load carrying capacity.
- Risk
- Overloading may have an adverse affect on motor home handling, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Fleetwood will mail a corrected federal certification label along with installation instructions to the affected motor home owners. Owners who do not feel comfortable installing this label can take their motor home to any fleetwood dealer and the dealer will install the label for them. The recall began on july 28, 2008. Owners may contact fleetwood at 1‑800‑509‑3418.
Recall number 08V292000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- On certain motor home chassis, there may be a loose connection between the bus bar and a grid pad due to the pins being slightly smaller diameters after assembly. Electrical power may be lost to components of the major chassis operating systems (engine, transmission, starting, cooling) causing the vehicle to shut down and/or not be capable of powering up.
- Risk
- Each vehicle could potentially experience a unique circumstance where one or a combination of the following conditions could occur: loss of electrical power to the engine, transmission, starting and engine cooling systems, operation of the right chassis stop/turn signal and right trailer stop/turn signal, the anti-lock brake system, auxiliary brake system, the heater elements in the air dryer, and the heater element in the water-in-fuel separator.
- Remedy
- The dvec bussmann box will be replaced. The recall began on january 16, 2008. Owners may contact spartan at 1‑517‑543‑6400.
Recall number 07V363000 · Recall details
What 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
2008 fleetwood american eagle axle problem. *bf the consumer stated the motorhome was designed to carry 14,600lbs. But, with it fully loaded could create a very dangerous situation. If the motorhome was loaded as it should be, the front axle would exceed the rating on the front axle. The consumer stated knowing there is a problem with overloading the front axle, he only travels with 3/4 tank of fuel and 1/2 tank of water. The consumer stated he is in the process of replacing the tires and rims to help compensate for some of the weight issues.
2008 fleetwood american eagle front axle problem. *bf the consumer stated the design and certified rating of the front axle was not sufficient to allow for the usual and intended use of the motorhome. The consumer was informed a fix was being worked on for the front axle. The front axle has a design and certification load rating of 14,600 pounds. With the motorhome loaded as specified in the fleetwood owner's manual, the front axle is overloaded by 588 lbs. The load included full fuel, fresh water tanks, empty wasted water tanks, two people with a combined weight of 325 lbs and a empty cargo of 820 lbs. The gross vehicle weight under these conditions as weighed is 39,600 lbs with a design rating of 44,000 lbs. The certified cargo carrying capacity is 5,792.
2008 fleetwood american eagle front weight problem. *bf the consumer stated he knew the front axle gawr would be grossly exceeded if he loaded it to the manufacturer's certified cargo carrying capacity. The consumer stated the front axle needed to be adjusted by adding fuel, water and people weight to reflect the actual configuration the coach is driven. Data showed, that the weight of the front axle exceeded the gawr by about 1,265 pounds.
2008 fleetwood eagle consumer concern about front axle design . *bf the consumer stated the front axle design rating of the motorhome is 14,600 pounds. It was not possible to load the motorhome without overloading the front axle which is a very dangerous situation. The motorhome has a 5,792 pound design cargo carrying capacity, but with an estimated cargo of 792 pounds, the front axle is overloaded by 520 pounds.
2008 fleetwood american eagle motorhome weight problems. *bf the rv will not carry the manufacturer's printed and certified ccc. The consumer stated he requested that the nhtsb send out notices to owners of 2007, 2008 and some 2009 fleetwood american coach 42 ft. Motorhomes with 16,600 front axles. The notices should say that the affected coaches should carry minimal water, cargo and 1/2 fuel. The consumer was informed fleetwood was aware of the front axle underrating problem since early 2007 and had requested that the front end manufacturer look at upgrading the problem with the front axles to a 15,200 axle.
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Questions about the 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle
Is the 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle reliable?
Owners have filed 6 complaints about the 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle, 3.0 times a typical American Eagle model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle?
Suspension, with 5 complaints. Next is body (1).
How many recalls does the 2008 Fleetwood American Eagle have?
3 recalls, covering equipment and electrical system.
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