2007 model year quality.....

[OrangeKid]

We are in the middle of our dream trip in Alaska. On mile 1040 of the Alaskan Highway we discovered a lulu of a QC problem by the dealer or factory. I noticed that one of the trailer tires was bald. The wheel nuts were too tight for me to unscrew so we went to a local repair shop in Destruction Bay to get help changing our tire. We discovered that we had the wrong spare tire and wheel. We had a 15" spare with a 6 hole rim while our 23" Safari SE takes a 14" tire and 5 hole rim. Chucks tire and Welding exchanged our tire and rim for the correct ones at no cost to us. They saved the day as we were hundreds of miles from any major city. We also replaced the bald tire.

Someone at Airstream and/or our dealer was not on the ball when they installed the spare. Of course we should have checked our spare before leaving for such a long trip. Lesson learned!

One other issue was the cartridge in our Moen shower control went bad and hot water would only dribble out. Two calls to Moen and two visits to Home Depot in Fairbanks got us a new Positemp cartridge to replace the old one.

We have had no other major issues with our trailer. We have a list of minor issues when we take our trailer back to our dealer in the Fall before our two year warranty is up.

Originally Posted by OrangeKid

We have had our 2007 23' Safari SE LS since January 18, 2007. We have taken around 10 trips, towed the Safari 7000 miles and spent 104 nights in the it. We have had very few problems and no major ones. The morning after bringing the Safari home we discovered a small leak at the water pump. The dealer came to our house and repaired it by replacing a hose.

In August we bought the Safari back to the dealer for some warranty repairs that included installing some missing rivets on the inside, aligning the screen door for easier closing, and correcting a bathroom wall that became seperated from the sink by around 1/4". Our biggest warranty repair was the Tappan microwave oven which would turn on and be unrepsonsive to the controls when we plugged into shore power. The dealer replaced the microwave.

We also had MaxxAir Fan/Mate isntalled over the Fantastic Fan and a MaxxAir roof vent cover installed over the rear manual vent. We love the Maxx vents. We never have to worry about the weather and when it is hot in the Vegas area we tow the Safari with the vents open.

On the whole we have been very satisfied with our Safari and the service we have received at our Airstream dealer.

[rashton]

add me to the quality issue. we have an 07 safari 27 se . We store it covered in a dry area Bend Or. we have only put 2 weeks in it so far and i noted corrosion on both stree side wheels . I seem to remenber some where in this thread replacement under warranty?! We also had our water heated go gunnysack. since I got two furnace paperwork and none for the w.h I had nothing to refer to. Called service at Sutton R.V. ws told there was a reset button ont the unit none found! Supposed to be out this week after a brief stop at home but have to wait until wed for service.

[SilverCottage]

Originally Posted by NWStreamer

7.) Sometimes in switching from AC to propane the "check" light on the Refrigerator comes on and the propane won't work to keep it cold. Anyone know why?

I can help you with #7...

We had this and during a factory visit the board was replaced. That didn't solve the problem so they checked and found a loose ground wire at the back of the fridge. It works perfectly now after about 20 nights in it.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by rashton

We store it covered in a dry area Bend Or. we have only put 2 weeks in it so far and i noted corrosion on both stree side wheels . I seem to remenber some where in this thread replacement under warranty?!

Best of luck on this warranty claim. Several folks on the forum have reported Airstream is NOT honoring corrosion warranty work. I had not had that exp, but my warranty claims were back in mid 2005, before this issue became a bit more commonplace and on the radar of both current and future owners. Please keep us informed on how your corrosion warranty claim was handled. Here is a link to the current corrosion discussion:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...ams-31743.html

[jaojamjab]

I have taken my 27 ft Safari 30,000 miles since I got it and every time I have taken it out I had a list of things to be repaired. It seems that almost every rivet in the interior has fallen out and had to be replaced. Drawers broken, fan keeps breaking, leaks in the front, back, at door handle, the floor is uneven. I had it repaired and had a botched job. Now the floor looks worse. Still dealing with Airstream on that issue and more. Propane tank problems, corrosion problems at the tail lights, electrical shorts, shower leaking. I now have a crack in the skin.
I have had a lot fixed under warranty however now that my warranty is up I will see if Airstream will step up to the plate and fix the reoccuring problems.
If I had it to do over again I wouldn't.
I think that for the amount of money I paid for the thing it was not worth it as they used such cheap materials.

[SWID]

Quality 2007 Airstreams. We purchased a 2007 Safari SE 27 ft. FB from a dealer in Boise ID in September 2007. Overall I would rate the quality as barely acceptable, but no better. Since we purchased this unit it has never been operated off paved roads. There are a number of items that have been showing up that really point to a lack of quality control at the factory. The light covers in the bathroom fall off whenever the trailer is moved. I figured I was putting them up wrong so went to the dealer so they could get them right and they were on the floor by the time I got back home. So now we just leave them off. The mirror in the bathroom came down on the initial 3-mile trip from the dealer to home. The dealer replaced it and patched the walls where it left long scratches. . Screws on the hold open device on the mirror were stripped and I had to replace them. The screws holding the bathroom cabinets and the kitchen cabinets in place have to be tightened after every trip. The screws on almost all the cabinet handles have had to be retightened. A drop of “Locktight” seems to work wonders. The skylight in the living area cracked and leaked within the first year. The vent cover in the bedroom broke within the first year. The catches on the hall closets came loose on the first trip; the screws had been over tightened. None of the rubber ends on the window handles have any of the setscrews installed. The slide out shelf unit in the kitchen catch does not work. The push button part in the door was not installed tightly and the part on the cabinet was mounted crookedly so the shelving unit came open on the road. Propane alarm goes off intermittently with no propane leakage in fact it will go off with the gas shut off. The stupid little catch on the shower door routinely locks you in the shower, finally just took it off. The heat vent in the bathroom delivers very cold air when it is cold outside. Trim strip on the counter edge by the sink is coming loose. The linoleum in the kitchen – living room is buckling and the trim strip along the back wall looks like it was installed by a two year old. It does not fit well on ether the wall or over the linoleum with wide gaps. During hard rain there is a small leak on the bathroom wall along with a badly done rivet. The black water valve leaks and will give your hand a bath every time you hook the sewer up. Clear coat on rear bumper extremely poorly done always looks like it needs washing.

The bottom line is at this time there is no way I could recommend that anyone purchase an Airstream product. Why pay a premium only to get an inferior product. While most of my problems have been relatively minor the problems I have experienced in getting them repaired makes me wonder what would be going on if it were a major problem.

[SWID]

We purchased a 2007 Safari SE 27 ft. FB from a dealer in Boise ID in September 2007. Overall I would rate the quality as barely acceptable, but no better. Since we purchased this unit it has never been operated off paved roads. There are a number of items that have been showing up that really point to a lack of quality control at the factory. The light covers in the bathroom fall off whenever the trailer is moved. I figured I was putting them up wrong so went to the dealer so they could get them right and they were on the floor by the time I got back home. So now we just leave them off. The mirror in the bathroom came down on the initial 3-mile trip from the dealer to home. The dealer replaced it and patched the walls where it left long scratches. Screws on the hold open device on the mirror were stripped and I had to replace them. The screws holding the bathroom cabinets and the kitchen cabinets in place have to be tightened after every trip. The screws on almost all the cabinet handles have had to be retightened. A drop of “Locktight” seems to work wonders. The skylight in the living area cracked and leaked within the first year. The vent cover in the bedroom broke within the first year. The catches on the hall closets came loose on the first trip; the screws had been over tightened. None of the rubber ends on the window handles have any of the setscrews installed. The catch on the slide out shelf unit in the kitchen does not work. The push button part in the door was not installed tightly and the part on the cabinet was mounted crookedly so the shelving unit came open on the road. Propane alarm goes off intermittently with no propane leakage in fact it will go off with the gas shut off. The stupid little catch on the shower door routinely locks you in the shower, finally just took it off. The heat vent in the bathroom delivers very cold air when it is cold outside. Trim strip on the counter edge by the sink is coming loose. The linoleum in the kitchen – living room is buckling and the trim strip along the back wall looks like it was installed by a two year old. It does not fit well on ether the wall or over the linoleum with wide gaps. During hard rain there is a small leak on the bathroom wall along with a badly done rivet. The black water valve leaks and will give your hand a bath every time you hook the sewer up. Clear coat on rear bumper extremely poorly done always looks like it needs washing.

The bottom line is at this time there is no way I could recommend that anyone purchase an Airstream product. Why pay a premium only to get an inferior product. While most of my problems have been relatively minor the problems I have experienced in getting them repaired makes me wonder what would be going on if it were a major problem.

[NWStreamer]

I had a list of small repairs that I managed to get in for warranty service...just in the knick of time. So far so good...I almost hate saying that...jinx.

I am, however VERY disappointed in the corosion problem. While in for the warranty items, I showed them a couple of areas where the corosion has started. Airstream seems to label this as normal wear & tear. I have read about this problem all over this forum. From what I have found, it only seems to be a problem with the newer models.

I bought my Airstream because I expected that, if I take care of it, it would outlast the other brands. That's what we pay for right? Now I am watching it corrode before my eyes. UGH!

[dkottum]

We just purchased a new 2007 Safari 20 SE last month that we will use mostly for 5-6 months winter travel in the southern states. Have only used it a couple of times here at Battle Lake, MN but have had a chance to check the systems out and look it over thoroughly. There was some sawdust and metal drillings about, but overall everything seems to work, doesn't leak, and we are absolutely delighted with it. We are fortunate to be able to purchase such a beautiful American-made product today. Everyone who sees it loves it as well.

At the dealer I noticed all of the Airstreams have at least a bit of the corrosion here or there, but with all that metal out in the elements, we could expect some. I was with Naval aviation for 30 years, and corrosion on aluminum is always ongoing. It is a maintenance issue, but nonetheless these airplanes lasted a very long time near a salt water environment. It was not the corrosion that finally took them out of service. Looking at how many old Airstreams still being used, I think we can expect similar results if we do the maintenance.

Airstreams are indeed expensive and often imperfect, but they are in a class by themselves and worth the premium cost. For most, they provide not only shelter and convenience, but a way of life. We love our new trailer and will work through the maintenance issues as they come up.

Perhaps quality is more than the faults found on the Airstream, but also the overall experience with the product. For these reasons, I rate the quality of our 2007 Airstream as excellent. For us, nothing else comes close.

[evsjr]

2007 27 ft FB Classic:
1) Overall quality excellent; however:
2) 3 of the flourescent light covers were shattered.
3) Carbon Monoxide detector had batteries installed the wrong way and zapped the detector... replaced under warranty.
4) Hickory dinnette table had failed glue line... replaced under warranty.
5) AM radio (factory entertainment expensive upgrade) does not work. No fix.
6) Side window (traffic side) blew out under non-stressful traffic conditions. Both dealer and factory refused to cover under warranty and this was an expensive owner repair.
7) Locks to exterior compartments are miserable. No fix; that's the way they are.
8) Hinge pin to one of the lower storage compartmens is missing. Guess I will find an appropiate sized nail and cut to fit.
9) Not an Airstream issue, but I also had a failure in the Reese hitch casting where a void in the casting caused a failure where the weight distribution bar fits into the socket. Reese replaced under warranty. This could have been a very dangerous situation.
10) Both of the Fantastic fans have become discolored with an unsightly brown gunk. Warranty action is pending.

[dkottum]

evsjr, just a brief comment on the previous post. Only a couple of these items reflect Airstream manufacturing, the rest are crappy RV fittings and accessories. We like our Airstream so much, I hate to nitpick, but if I did I would completely agree with you on the poor quality of these installed items. Maybe these are the standard of the RV industry, but if higher quality fittings and accessories were used, we would both have a better Airstream, and I would be happy to pay the cost of upgrade. Unfortunately, this is an area where they can keep prices down and try to be somewhat competitive, I suppose.

Doug K

[glenamoy]

2007 owners might do well to check out the following thread on this forum, on serious (and expensive) floor rot problems now surfacing on many 2007s:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f396...tml#post873517

The issue appears to revolve around defective window trim and seals, as well as lack of effective seals at the rear bumper, which was left unsealed at the factory. The damage is hidden from view until extensive rot appears under the dinette tables of FB models--both Safari and International models have shown it.

Beware of this issue, which appears after warranty is up. The factory is aware of the problem, as several owners are presenting claims (the leaks apparently start at day one). Read the thread and check your trailer, looking carefully under the vinyl for evidence of moisture. It would be a great help if others who have the problem would please post their experiecnces on either this thread or (preferably) the one highlighted above (the floor leak thread).

[Sparkygus]

We have a 2007 International CCD FB, and my husband just put his foot through the floor under the dinette. He pulled everything out, and pulled the linoleum up to find a rotting floor, and I mean a majorly rotting floor. Reading other posts on a different thread we learned that we are not alone, and that this is an issue with an insufficient seal along the panoramic windows. We are on vacation, but need to make it to a service shop to find out if the sealant was never placed between the bumper and the body as well. With so many people having this same issue on newer models, AS needs to do something and maintain their excellent reputation.

[ESCAPE POD]

We have a 2007 Bambi (19') SE (has panoramic window on "front", like the CCD's). Our dinette is under this window, just behind the hitch. Haven't noticed any damage as yet. We park the Bambi in our front driveway, so it's exposed to the elements. Has anyone with an '07 Bambi SE experienced leakage from the wrap-around window, or floor damage under the dinette?

-Jerry

[2airishuman]

hi jerry

my guess is that FRONT mounted panoz will NOT have this issue.

still is is GOOD HABIT to inspect the panoz for any signs of sealant breach or water.

this IS part of the regular/annual inspection of all the gooz used on a stream.

having a pressurized leak test ONE TIME may be a good thing in WET parts of the country.

(the problem is even AFTER finding and sealing, movement will create NEW gaps after testing)

the FRONT panoz may have OTHER issues,

especially IF there is a LARGE access door under them.

OR batteries have been added OR larger lp tanks or gensets or other EXTRA weight items.

SHORTER streams 16-19 or

SHORT double axles (23) may have fewer shell/frame integrity related problems...

as the frames GROW longer and the weight goes UP...

movement and stress in the shell or at the frame/shell junction OR in the window cutouts...

increases.

more on 07 issues (photos start in the 100s posts) ...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f396...ers-57860.html

and a more general expose' on shell/frame things...

and the VERY LIMITED VALUE of sealant at the lower beltline.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ion-35237.html



cheers
2air'

[dkottum]

A rotting floor is not seen, with vinyl covering inside, and aluminum plates under the exterior access compartments. There can be leaks from a variety of sources, especially inside the walls, that are not evident until a soft spot on the floor is discovered.

I was able to check it by probing the outside edge of the covering gently with an awl, gaining access by pulling out drawers and opening compartments wherever I could. It was all solid, and felt satisfied I haven't had damage. This would be a good periodic inspection item, possibly finding damage early.

Is it true that you should not leave works of art out in the rain?

Doug K

[glenamoy]

Originally Posted by dkottum

A rotting floor is not seen, with vinyl covering inside, and aluminum plates under the exterior access compartments. There can be leaks from a variety of sources, especially inside the walls, that are not evident until a soft spot on the floor is discovered.

I was able to check it by probing the outside edge of the covering gently with an awl, gaining access by pulling out drawers and opening compartments wherever I could. It was all solid, and felt satisfied I haven't had damage. This would be a good periodic inspection item, possibly finding damage early.

Is it true that you should not leave works of art out in the rain?

Doug K

Ours (2007) is parked in a barn, always. As I mentioned in another thread, it has seen three rainstorms and four washings---I keep a log--and yet we had extensive floor rot. It only showed up when summer came--the warmth got that wet flooring to turn into a mushroom farm, and it had nothing to do with being parked in the rain. As it finally turned out, all four mitre joints on the pano rear windows were leaking. Several threads show that it is quite common though somehow my Airstream user's manual didn't warn me! Moreover, either the factory or the dealer had noticed tone of the leaks before it was sold to me new...a different type of glop was applied on one of the windows in an obvious late bandaid.

Here is what I call it: Shoddy design, and shoddy construction. An eighty year old company should know how to make windows that don't leak, systematically, in new trailers. Even a light perusal of the threads in this forum will show that even new Airstreams leak in all sorts of places. And will all that premium price that you/we paid get one a customer service that will stand firmly behind their product, as you might expect of a Lexus or a Cadillac in recall? Not a chance. Would I buy again? Like most who have had these problems in late model Airstreams, I would have to say no way.

[fmr.capt.evi]

Glenamoy's experience supports the theory that the increased bouncing around which occurs towards the rear of all of our trailers (compared to the front end) is hard on joints and seals, and thus tends to cause window leaks. I lived in a 25FB for a couple of years and noticed that anything stored in those rear overheads really took a beating enroute. One time the dinette top was actually jarred out of its mounting flanges on the wall....(despite my efforts to go slow, avoid potholes, etc., and no, I wasn't "overhitched"). My guess is that folks with the traditional rear bedrooms don't notice this as much because it's just bedding and clothing that's getting pummeled, and fewer joints to loosen up.

[dkottum]

Glenamoy, there is evidence you had window leaks from the get-go, and you have certainly taken measures to prevent it. Reading this thread lends credence to the under-engineering of the rear door/pano window design in an area of the trailer with so much stress while traveling.

We do leave our trailer out in the rain (how else do you travel and camp?), although I am beginning to believe we will pay sooner or later. This leak problem is not limited to model year nor even size, although it is reasonable that longer trailers would flex more.

What can be done? Although it is taboo in this forum to suggest rigid tow vehicles and hitching as a contributor to structural failure, that may be worth reconsidering, along with regular inspections of sealants and joints, dry storage for those who can, and maybe even frequent preventive resealing of know problem areas such as the pano windows.

I still like our Airstream in spite of its shortcomings, but have come to realize this or any travel vehicle, will need more maintenance and have more expense than I bargained for.

Doug