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Old 10-19-2020, 06:28 PM   #1
1 Rivet Member
 
2021 Atlas
Calabasas , California
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 5
Angry My Airstream Atlas Nightmare

After a great deal of research and the recommendations of other Airstream Atlas owners, I ordered a brand new Airstream Atlas on June 21, 2020 from Airstream of Los Angeles.



About two months after placing my order, I received a call from the dealer saying they have a new upgrade to 100Amp lithium batteries with a new control system, so I agreed to this upgrade.


I received my 2021 Atlas on August 29, 2020 and that's the date my nightmare began.


During the presentation of my Atlas at the dealership, I was very concerned when I noticed that the presenter had only general knowledge of RV’s in general and very little knowledge of the Atlas in particular. He skipped several items that I wanted to know about and seemed to dismiss any concerns I brought up, such as when I observed that one of the Victron energy displays (for the solar charging system) was not working properly, he insisted that it was nothing to worry about that that everything is fully automatic.


Later that day, I took my new Atlas RV home and started inspecting and getting familiar with all the equipment as I had a long anticipated vacation coming up. I immediately noticed that the Onan generator did not start properly and the solar system was barely charging the lithium batteries. I contacted the service department at the dealership in Los Angeles and after several days of talking with the service department, decided to go back to the dealer so they could fix it.

A list of the issues with my brand new Atlas after first taking delivery are below:

  • Cummins Onan RV QD 3200 generator not working at all.
  • Battery charging system is not charging the battery properly.
  • The Magnum MMS1012 is not properly set-up for the lithium battery and does not meet the specifications to charge Battle Born 100Amp lithium batteries.
  • When the house battery becomes depleted, everything inside is shut down and nothing works. The manual suggests turning on the chassis engine for a few minutes to charge it. This function did not work. Meaning you can be stuck with no power and nothing electronic working in RV even when you connect to external power!
  • Victron Energy MPPT Control locked up and not working.
  • Sliding door not properly installed and broken.
  • Folding Stairs sometimes do not work properly.
  • Cannot connect to the solar charging system APP
  • Shelving in the storage compartment is incorrect size and falling down to the second compartment.
  • Pantry storage compartment not proper lock, opening on every turn.
  • Several door hinges broken.
  • Skylight occasionally not closing properly.
  • Manual describes a completely different inverter charger controller.

And randomly I also found a key on the control panel without a label and nobody in the service department knows what it is for.


Because of this, I had to postpone my vacation. It took about a week for the service to complete and the dealership delivered the Atlas to my home.


I excitedly packed up my RV and was ready to go.


Or so I thought.


The generator was still not working properly, after a week in service. Once again, I had to postpone my vacation. This generator and its proper function were very important to me because we were planning to go bicycling off the grid in Moab.


Once again, I went back to the dealer and decided to wait until they fixed the problem.



After several hours they were not able to fix it and they advised me to go directly to Cummins Onan, 40 miles away.


So I went there and they connected the generator with an external fuel tank and everything seems to be working perfectly. Onan stated that this indicated there was a problem with the fuel delivery systems in the Atlas.


For the third time in as many weeks, I drove back to the Airstream dealer and left my RV for service and repairs. Driving from my house to the service department in Los Angeles back and forth repeatedly, I put over 600 miles on my brand new RV during this three week period.


After several weeks, the dealership promised to deliver the repaired Atlas on September 23 at 7 AM so I could finally start my long-awaited vacation.


On September 23, 7 AM came and went and no Atlas. Then 8 AM came and went with no Atlas. At 9 AM, I called the dealership to ask what the delay was and they explained that there were some “small issues” with the steps but that it was fixed and everything was now perfect and ready to go.


The Atlas finally arrived around 11 AM. I quickly checked the generator and it appeared to be working correctly so I once again packed up and finally left on my long awaited trip.


The original plan was to take a vacation in the first week of September with my good friends from Salt Lake City, who also own an Airstream Atlas though it is a previous version. This was to be a three week trip bicycling and visiting state and national parks including Moab, Yellowstone, and even Mount Rushmore. The delays were very frustrating because they affected multiple people and we left around the time we should have already been back.


When I got to Salt Lake City, I tried to use the generator and to my intense disappointment and frustration, it once again would not start. Because the service department in Los Angeles had repeatedly tried and failed over the course of three weeks to repair the many issues with this brand new and expensive RV, I called Airstream directly. I was even more disappointed and let down by their response, which was that they would not be able to do anything until I took it back to the dealership. At this point, I finally lost my cool and told them that I wanted to return this RV and which four letter word I thought best described it. I feared that this would ruin my vacation but because we were already in Utah, my friends and I decided to continue with the trip and to stay in RV parks with full service.


Unfortunately, in Yellowstone we were not able to get to the park with the full service and so had to stay in an RV park with no service.


We made sure that all the batteries were fully charged, so we thought maybe everything was going to be okay despite the generator not working.


It was really cold at night so we have to turn on the heater. Around 3 AM, I woke up to it being extremely cold inside of the Atlas. To my shock, all the systems and controllers were completely off and the battery was dead. We had to wait until daytime when the sun came out and started to charge the battery in order to start the Atlas again.


The only components inside the RV that should have been running were the refrigerator and the fan and even quick calculations show that a fully charged battery should last for at least 24 hours, but it lasted less than 5 hours.


These issues not only delayed a trip I had anticipated for some time, but also ruined it completely. If the weather was worse or if we had made this trip during the winter, we could have easily been stranded in the cold with no heat and no power for who knows how long. This is completely unacceptable, dangerous, and not in any way in keeping with Airstream’s reputation.

A list of additional issues I found during this trip are below:

  • Power Stabilizer Jacks completely locked out and not functioning.
  • Skylight broken cannot even open.
  • The site storage compartment door is broken and cannot open.
  • Echomaster mirror monitors with sight cameras and parking sensors are very old technology, with low resolution, very low brightness, and are extremely slow. It takes two to three seconds from turning the signal to seeing the image in the mirror, which is an incredibly long time while driving.
  • Driving in the daylight when the sun is out, you can barely see the image and when you put on sunglasses it is virtually impossible to see.
  • When you put bicycle carrier racks on a hitch mount, you get attention blinking on a screen all the time, which is very distracting and and no way to clear or disable this warning.
  • The wires inside the control cabinet are loose and make a lot of noise while driving, creating an additional distraction.

I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed with the profound lack of service and quality from Airstream, its Los Angeles Dealership, and in the Atlas itself. This vehicle has a lot of gadgets and gizmos, but the core systems are faulty and unreliable.


In an RV, it is my belief that the single most important consideration should be protecting from the complete discharge of a battery because it can leave people stranded without heat or power in remote areas and in potentially dangerous weather conditions. This was not considered and so it is very easy for the battery to drain, leaving all those gadgets non-functional.


The generator, solar system for charging the battery, and the controller for charging the battery do not work as they should and these are all very important systems that should be reliable and even have redundancy. This is in addition to the many quality, design, assembly, and service issues I have done my best to describe above that affect virtually every system in this Atlas to some extent. This vehicle is only suitable for driving and I already have a car for that. It is not suitable for, nor can it be depended on, to work as an RV.


Needless to say, my experience with this brand new vehicle has been long, difficult, and a nightmare!


Has anyone had similar issues? Does anyone have advice on how to remedy this situation?
Karol R is offline  
Old 10-19-2020, 10:11 PM   #2
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2018 30' Classic
Thousand Oaks , California
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,637
Sorry to hear about all your issues. You may have better luck posting in the Atlas thread specifically if there is one, otherwise the interstate section?

I fear you think answer I have for you is to get it back to airstream directly or try another dealer. Doesn’t sound like your dealer has the slightest idea to get this right for you.

Sorry I don’t have better information for you
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Old 10-19-2020, 11:11 PM   #3
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2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor , New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
Welcome to the forum, Karol, and sorry for your baptism by fire!

These Atlas search results will lead to other threads about this relatively new Airstream motorhome: https://www.google.com/search?q=Atla...=airforums.com

Most of them are in the Sprinter and B-van forum: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f240/

As you will see owner satisfaction has not been exactly stellar:

-- "The ATLAS is HISTORY !!!!!!!" -- https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...ry-184772.html
-- And here as well: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...ey-172716.html

You might want to consider seeking expert legal advice [IMO], and asking about "Revoking your Acceptance" of this unit, an option which may be available under the applicable California consumer protection laws like the Uniform Commercial Code, etc.. [IMO]

Do not hesitate, to seek legal advice, if you want to get rid of the thing and protect your rights.

Time is of the essence! [IMO]

Some nightmares only end when you realize that you can not adjust the details of the bad dream, only wake up ASAP. [IMO]



Sorry . . .

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Old 10-20-2020, 07:49 AM   #4
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Jackson Center , Ohio
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 742
Blog Entries: 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karol R View Post
After a great deal of research and the recommendations of other Airstream Atlas owners, I ordered a brand new Airstream Atlas on June 21, 2020 from Airstream of Los Angeles.



About two months after placing my order, I received a call from the dealer saying they have a new upgrade to 100Amp lithium batteries with a new control system, so I agreed to this upgrade.


I received my 2021 Atlas on August 29, 2020 and that's the date my nightmare began.


During the presentation of my Atlas at the dealership, I was very concerned when I noticed that the presenter had only general knowledge of RV’s in general and very little knowledge of the Atlas in particular. He skipped several items that I wanted to know about and seemed to dismiss any concerns I brought up, such as when I observed that one of the Victron energy displays (for the solar charging system) was not working properly, he insisted that it was nothing to worry about that that everything is fully automatic.


Later that day, I took my new Atlas RV home and started inspecting and getting familiar with all the equipment as I had a long anticipated vacation coming up. I immediately noticed that the Onan generator did not start properly and the solar system was barely charging the lithium batteries. I contacted the service department at the dealership in Los Angeles and after several days of talking with the service department, decided to go back to the dealer so they could fix it.

A list of the issues with my brand new Atlas after first taking delivery are below:

  • Cummins Onan RV QD 3200 generator not working at all.
  • Battery charging system is not charging the battery properly.
  • The Magnum MMS1012 is not properly set-up for the lithium battery and does not meet the specifications to charge Battle Born 100Amp lithium batteries.
  • When the house battery becomes depleted, everything inside is shut down and nothing works. The manual suggests turning on the chassis engine for a few minutes to charge it. This function did not work. Meaning you can be stuck with no power and nothing electronic working in RV even when you connect to external power!
  • Victron Energy MPPT Control locked up and not working.
  • Sliding door not properly installed and broken.
  • Folding Stairs sometimes do not work properly.
  • Cannot connect to the solar charging system APP
  • Shelving in the storage compartment is incorrect size and falling down to the second compartment.
  • Pantry storage compartment not proper lock, opening on every turn.
  • Several door hinges broken.
  • Skylight occasionally not closing properly.
  • Manual describes a completely different inverter charger controller.

And randomly I also found a key on the control panel without a label and nobody in the service department knows what it is for.


Because of this, I had to postpone my vacation. It took about a week for the service to complete and the dealership delivered the Atlas to my home.


I excitedly packed up my RV and was ready to go.


Or so I thought.


The generator was still not working properly, after a week in service. Once again, I had to postpone my vacation. This generator and its proper function were very important to me because we were planning to go bicycling off the grid in Moab.


Once again, I went back to the dealer and decided to wait until they fixed the problem.



After several hours they were not able to fix it and they advised me to go directly to Cummins Onan, 40 miles away.


So I went there and they connected the generator with an external fuel tank and everything seems to be working perfectly. Onan stated that this indicated there was a problem with the fuel delivery systems in the Atlas.


For the third time in as many weeks, I drove back to the Airstream dealer and left my RV for service and repairs. Driving from my house to the service department in Los Angeles back and forth repeatedly, I put over 600 miles on my brand new RV during this three week period.


After several weeks, the dealership promised to deliver the repaired Atlas on September 23 at 7 AM so I could finally start my long-awaited vacation.


On September 23, 7 AM came and went and no Atlas. Then 8 AM came and went with no Atlas. At 9 AM, I called the dealership to ask what the delay was and they explained that there were some “small issues” with the steps but that it was fixed and everything was now perfect and ready to go.


The Atlas finally arrived around 11 AM. I quickly checked the generator and it appeared to be working correctly so I once again packed up and finally left on my long awaited trip.


The original plan was to take a vacation in the first week of September with my good friends from Salt Lake City, who also own an Airstream Atlas though it is a previous version. This was to be a three week trip bicycling and visiting state and national parks including Moab, Yellowstone, and even Mount Rushmore. The delays were very frustrating because they affected multiple people and we left around the time we should have already been back.


When I got to Salt Lake City, I tried to use the generator and to my intense disappointment and frustration, it once again would not start. Because the service department in Los Angeles had repeatedly tried and failed over the course of three weeks to repair the many issues with this brand new and expensive RV, I called Airstream directly. I was even more disappointed and let down by their response, which was that they would not be able to do anything until I took it back to the dealership. At this point, I finally lost my cool and told them that I wanted to return this RV and which four letter word I thought best described it. I feared that this would ruin my vacation but because we were already in Utah, my friends and I decided to continue with the trip and to stay in RV parks with full service.


Unfortunately, in Yellowstone we were not able to get to the park with the full service and so had to stay in an RV park with no service.


We made sure that all the batteries were fully charged, so we thought maybe everything was going to be okay despite the generator not working.


It was really cold at night so we have to turn on the heater. Around 3 AM, I woke up to it being extremely cold inside of the Atlas. To my shock, all the systems and controllers were completely off and the battery was dead. We had to wait until daytime when the sun came out and started to charge the battery in order to start the Atlas again.


The only components inside the RV that should have been running were the refrigerator and the fan and even quick calculations show that a fully charged battery should last for at least 24 hours, but it lasted less than 5 hours.


These issues not only delayed a trip I had anticipated for some time, but also ruined it completely. If the weather was worse or if we had made this trip during the winter, we could have easily been stranded in the cold with no heat and no power for who knows how long. This is completely unacceptable, dangerous, and not in any way in keeping with Airstream’s reputation.

A list of additional issues I found during this trip are below:

  • Power Stabilizer Jacks completely locked out and not functioning.
  • Skylight broken cannot even open.
  • The site storage compartment door is broken and cannot open.
  • Echomaster mirror monitors with sight cameras and parking sensors are very old technology, with low resolution, very low brightness, and are extremely slow. It takes two to three seconds from turning the signal to seeing the image in the mirror, which is an incredibly long time while driving.
  • Driving in the daylight when the sun is out, you can barely see the image and when you put on sunglasses it is virtually impossible to see.
  • When you put bicycle carrier racks on a hitch mount, you get attention blinking on a screen all the time, which is very distracting and and no way to clear or disable this warning.
  • The wires inside the control cabinet are loose and make a lot of noise while driving, creating an additional distraction.

I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed with the profound lack of service and quality from Airstream, its Los Angeles Dealership, and in the Atlas itself. This vehicle has a lot of gadgets and gizmos, but the core systems are faulty and unreliable.


In an RV, it is my belief that the single most important consideration should be protecting from the complete discharge of a battery because it can leave people stranded without heat or power in remote areas and in potentially dangerous weather conditions. This was not considered and so it is very easy for the battery to drain, leaving all those gadgets non-functional.


The generator, solar system for charging the battery, and the controller for charging the battery do not work as they should and these are all very important systems that should be reliable and even have redundancy. This is in addition to the many quality, design, assembly, and service issues I have done my best to describe above that affect virtually every system in this Atlas to some extent. This vehicle is only suitable for driving and I already have a car for that. It is not suitable for, nor can it be depended on, to work as an RV.


Needless to say, my experience with this brand new vehicle has been long, difficult, and a nightmare!


Has anyone had similar issues? Does anyone have advice on how to remedy this situation?
Hi Karol R,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issues and experiences you've had so far. Please send us a direct message with your contact information, email and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can learn more and share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

Thank you.*
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Old 10-20-2020, 08:01 AM   #5
wts
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2021 Atlas
Winter Park , Florida
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 64
So sorry to hear

So sorry to hear of your experience. We are awaiting the delivery of our 2021 Atlas here at Airstream of Tampa. Our Atlas was delayed delivery due to a delay of our awning. The salesperson at Tampa has been very transparent and careful not to overpromise. In fact we were connected directly with corporate even though our delay has been weeks and they have communicated with us proactively as to the status. Today we learned our awning is in!

I shared your story with them and must tell you the reaction could not have been better. There was no defensiveness. No blaming. Just an immediate determination to make it right and win you back. Not sure how they will find you but I bet they do.

Hopefully this is all helping to put you on the right path to creating wonderful memories.
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Old 10-20-2020, 09:19 AM   #6
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1964 30' Sovereign
Ione , CA
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 250
It's good that you are now getting the attention of Airstream. But per OTRA15's comment, you definitely need to get an attorney involved in communications with them. This RV seems to fall under the 'lemon' category of consumer problems. With your list of problems, you should not allow them to keep messing around with this unit. It sounds like a spider's web where fixing one problem will ricochet to impact the other issues. Get your money back in full.
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Old 10-20-2020, 09:31 AM   #7
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2017 23' International
Portland , Oregon
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 92
Images: 6
Lemon!

Lemons are very common now from AS. Good luck getting things fixed because the dealers have even worse quality control the the manufacturer. The dealer will try not fixing things that are working when you bring it in because it's an intermittent problem, those are fun to deal with and get repaired by the dealer. You may have it back and fixed by spring.
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Old 10-20-2020, 09:42 AM   #8
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2019 Nest
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Home of the Falcons! , Ohio
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 3
Airstream No Longer Represents Quality

Karol, so sorry to hear about your experience with Airstream. You'd think a brand new $200k+ RV would be flawless, right? I experienced a similar fate in 2016 when I purchased a brand new Interstate. The propane stove was not properly installed and leaking gas, the remote controlled blinds never worked properly, we got stranded in the middle of nowhere when a faulty sensor failed, and so on and so on. And once you've made the purchase, you're screwed. I would honestly find the best attorney you can and demand a total refund, period. There's no excuse for the lack of quality and/or quality control. And we're suppose to hang our hats on "Made in America?" Hogwash.

Regarding another Airstream icon, I recently learned that they have stopped making the cute Nest trailer. Why? My guess is the continuous problems they've had with them and the quality control at the factory. Why else would a company stop making a trailer that was selling like hotcakes?

Readers, if you've had a good experience with your Airstream, you're very fortunate! Let's demand a better product from this homegrown company and stop purchasing their products based on the nostalgia and romance the company once portrayed.
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Old 10-20-2020, 11:23 AM   #9
New Member
 
2021 Atlas
Montgomery , TX
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 4
Similar Atlas issues

Karol - Our saga and experience has been scarily similar.

Thought going with 2 name brands would be worth a lot but not case.

We are in Houston and ordered ours from Tucson in May for expected July delivery - excerpt from letter to dealership:
-Deposit placed on May 26th with projected delivery of July.
-Advised it had arrived at Tucson dealership by June 9th, ahead of schedule.
-Planned to take delivery on June 29, but were advised of Mercedes recall on June 27th.
-We took ownership on August 13, 2020 in Tucson. We were advised the generator was not operable, but “had worked earlier”. Wire visibly showing from right rear of the coach.
-Drove to Houston – check engine light came on. Coach was at Mercedes dealership for 2 nights to replace an O2 sensor (August 20-22).
-Took coach to Houston location September 1st to check generator and wire dangling from right rear – no help on generator, not sure what happened with wire. (110 miles rt) ( later learned their service center is not a dealership and can't do warranty work).
-Took coach to Cummins Sales and Service to repair generator on September 8th.
-When preparing to take coach to Cummins, noticed issues with stairs not opening. This was reported to Tucson service manager.
-Advised September 9th, 2 sensors needed to be replaced and had to ordered (by Cummins).
-Picked up coach from Cummins on September 18th. Were advised that generator worked, however the connections in the coach would not allow the generator to start. From Cummins: “Upon installation of the generator, we found an extra wire spliced by the wiring harness going from the panel to the generator. This wire is not allowing the generator to start. We bypassed it, the generator starts and runs fine.” A picture was provided. (100 miles rt x 3).
-When returned home and connected to shore power realized there was no electrical power to the coach at all. (Nothing working!!) Reported to Tucson service manager and sales person on September 19th.
-Eleven days later no resolution, no plan. No useable coach.

So out of the last seven weeks of ownership, the generator has never worked, coach has spent 12 days at dealerships, we have driven over 400 miles and is still not functionable.

Update to the saga, took the Atlas to local Airstream dealer, but they don't sell Atlas, so again warranty work hurdles. However, after 3 more days at a dealership have made some progress:

- We had a blown fuse at battery which shut down entire battery management system and drained the battery.
- However generator is still not operable. It now has a different error message, so now I have to reach out to another Cummins authorized dealer.

At this point we have owned the coach for 2 months and it has never been fully functionable. We have not been brave enough to venture out because we haven't had it functioning long enough to even explore and learn about other items.

We are seriously questioning our decision and looking at pursuing lemon law options. Frustration and disappointment don't even begin to describe this situation. And like someone mentioned, at this price point, we certainly expected more.

Unfortunately, you are not alone Karol. Learning that we are not alone certainly raises the concerns with Airstream.

ps - I would love to hear from the Airstream rep as well.
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Old 10-20-2020, 11:33 AM   #10
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2012 23' Flying Cloud
2016 25' Flying Cloud
Bandera , Texas
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AirstreamInc View Post
Hi Karol R,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issues and experiences you've had so far. Please send us a direct message with your contact information, email and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can learn more and share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

Thank you.*
Just gotta say, these kinds of notes from “Customer Service and Technical Support” are ludicrous. I seem to see these only after a new owner has tried numerous times to get problems resolved, including contacting Jackson Center. Those who have suggested seeking legal counsel and returning this unit I believe are giving the best advice. Personally, any promise from JC to fix all this, at this point would be unacceptable to me, and I would be seeking a full refund. Just my opinion.
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Old 10-20-2020, 12:27 PM   #11
1 Rivet Member
 
​2020 Atlas​
Carmel , Indiana
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 6
Atlas

I just read a post by a new owner from California regarding their new Atlas. When I have an extra hour or two, I will post a long list of problems that I have had with our 2020 Atlas. Our problems are totally different than the California coach but there are many. It is very frustrating to not get support from the Dealer or the Factory. The factory customer service has been helpful (if you happen to talk with the right person) fortunately I’m mechanically inclined and have been able to do my own repairs that should have been warranty problems. We are only a couple of hours from the factory which doesn’t help much when I was informed there is a 5 month wait for service.

I’m throwing out another complaint just to see if others have the same feelings. When they added 20 or 24 “ of width to the coach body, they should have added the same width to the rear end. This would give the coach a more stable ride and be less affected by wind and semis. What do you think?
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Old 10-20-2020, 02:51 PM   #12
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2016 22' Sport
2018 25' International
Chino Hills , California
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 116
I have two words for you “ Lemon law“ That is awful.
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Old 10-20-2020, 03:38 PM   #13
New Member
 
2021 Atlas
Montgomery , TX
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 4
Update on the generator saga:

From the Cummins distributor a month ago:
Upon installation of the generator, we found an extra wire spliced by the wiring harness going from the panel to the generator. This wire is not allowing the generator to start. We bypassed it, the generator starts and runs fine. Please see attached picture for reference. Airstream (OEM) needs to remedy this issue. We don’t know where else this harness is spliced into it so this has to be addressed before generator will start.

Well after going back to them and connecting with dealer, conclusion there is definitely a wiring issue with Airstream. Hopefully we will get an answer from Aairstream.

I tried to attach picture but couldn't get it to work.
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Old 10-20-2020, 03:40 PM   #14
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2018 33' Classic
Shreveport , Louisiana
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 34
Images: 1
Problems

Have to agree you fall well into the LEMON LAW category and I would exercise it ASAP. May cost you an attorney but well worth it.
Hate to hear these stories with AS they are so iconic and known for their reputation. May suggest I bought 2 year old AS most of the bugs were worked out. I have had to contact factory couple of times and while they are somewhat not quick to respond they do respond.
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Old 10-20-2020, 03:42 PM   #15
New Member
 
2021 Atlas
Montgomery , TX
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 4
On customer service issue, In addition to all of issues I have detailed, yesterday received a notice in snail mail from Airstream about an issue with the levelers, referencing an enclosure and yes you guessed it - no enclosure!
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Old 10-20-2020, 03:44 PM   #16
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Cuddebackville , New York
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My understanding is that these upgrades are done by the dealer. This is the second problem from that dealer that I've seen in the past half hour. I think that's where the problem is. And since Airstream has already responded, I think I may be right.
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Old 10-20-2020, 04:01 PM   #17
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Boise , Idaho
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 37
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trowbridge View Post
It's good that you are now getting the attention of Airstream. But per OTRA15's comment, you definitely need to get an attorney involved in communications with them. This RV seems to fall under the 'lemon' category of consumer problems. With your list of problems, you should not allow them to keep messing around with this unit. It sounds like a spider's web where fixing one problem will ricochet to impact the other issues. Get your money back in full.
Getting an attorney involved at this juncture would be a mistake. Thor has more attorneys on staff and retainer and will outgun you from the start. If you want to get things resolved quickly, work thru Airstream CS until you run into a brick wall. You can always hire an attorney at any point in the game, but once you do, you are not longer in control.
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Old 10-20-2020, 04:53 PM   #18
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Thank you everyone for the support and sharing your experiences and suggestions.

I decided to go directly to the top and e-mailed Airstream's Vice President of Sales, Senior Vice President of Operations, Chief Operating Officer, and President/CEO.


So far it looks like this was the right decision because I received a call this morning promising that they will pick up the RV from my house and fix all the problems. I'm not sure if they are able to do so, but I will try it except that I will request an additional 2-year warranty on all the components as well.

I did contact an attorney who is familiar with the warranty and consumer protection laws and they believe I have a case and are not asking for any money up front, but I want to see if Airstream is able to make things right first and properly and completely fix these issues so this RV is usable.

Also, I have over 40 years experience in designing, testing, and manufacturing electronic controllers. If any of you have any problems with the electronic controls and Airstream's service is unable to help, I'd be happy to try to help you.



Quote:
Originally Posted by LJDotson View Post
Karol - Our saga and experience has been scarily similar.

Thought going with 2 name brands would be worth a lot but not case.

We are in Houston and ordered ours from Tucson in May for expected July delivery - excerpt from letter to dealership:
-Deposit placed on May 26th with projected delivery of July.
-Advised it had arrived at Tucson dealership by June 9th, ahead of schedule.
-Planned to take delivery on June 29, but were advised of Mercedes recall on June 27th.
-We took ownership on August 13, 2020 in Tucson. We were advised the generator was not operable, but “had worked earlier”. Wire visibly showing from right rear of the coach.
-Drove to Houston – check engine light came on. Coach was at Mercedes dealership for 2 nights to replace an O2 sensor (August 20-22).
-Took coach to Houston location September 1st to check generator and wire dangling from right rear – no help on generator, not sure what happened with wire. (110 miles rt) ( later learned their service center is not a dealership and can't do warranty work).
-Took coach to Cummins Sales and Service to repair generator on September 8th.
-When preparing to take coach to Cummins, noticed issues with stairs not opening. This was reported to Tucson service manager.
-Advised September 9th, 2 sensors needed to be replaced and had to ordered (by Cummins).
-Picked up coach from Cummins on September 18th. Were advised that generator worked, however the connections in the coach would not allow the generator to start. From Cummins: “Upon installation of the generator, we found an extra wire spliced by the wiring harness going from the panel to the generator. This wire is not allowing the generator to start. We bypassed it, the generator starts and runs fine.” A picture was provided. (100 miles rt x 3).
-When returned home and connected to shore power realized there was no electrical power to the coach at all. (Nothing working!!) Reported to Tucson service manager and sales person on September 19th.
-Eleven days later no resolution, no plan. No useable coach.

So out of the last seven weeks of ownership, the generator has never worked, coach has spent 12 days at dealerships, we have driven over 400 miles and is still not functionable.

Update to the saga, took the Atlas to local Airstream dealer, but they don't sell Atlas, so again warranty work hurdles. However, after 3 more days at a dealership have made some progress:

- We had a blown fuse at battery which shut down entire battery management system and drained the battery.
- However generator is still not operable. It now has a different error message, so now I have to reach out to another Cummins authorized dealer.

At this point we have owned the coach for 2 months and it has never been fully functionable. We have not been brave enough to venture out because we haven't had it functioning long enough to even explore and learn about other items.

We are seriously questioning our decision and looking at pursuing lemon law options. Frustration and disappointment don't even begin to describe this situation. And like someone mentioned, at this price point, we certainly expected more.

Unfortunately, you are not alone Karol. Learning that we are not alone certainly raises the concerns with Airstream.

ps - I would love to hear from the Airstream rep as well.

I'm sorry to hear about the issues you are having too. I sent you a private message and hope it contains some information that helps you.
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Old 10-20-2020, 06:45 PM   #19
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Legal

I see that you've consulted an attorney, which is probably a wise move. Hopefully, some version of the "Lemon Law" applies here.
Daniel Flynn
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Old 10-20-2020, 06:51 PM   #20
wts
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Winter Park , Florida
Join Date: Oct 2019
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This sounds much better than to go the legal route at the junction. You continue to have that option available, but I suspect you won't need it. They have demonstrated their desire as I was told to win you back. It says a lot.
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