Airstream Disaster

[Alumalemon]

Just wondering if many people have had an experience like this with their airstream?? I have been very dissatisfied with mine and Airstream has been very reluctant to help in anyway!! Let’s just say my Airstream experience over the past 9 years has been very disappointing. I purchased my 2012 25 ft. Eddie Bauer edition brand new in 2011. I have always admired Airstreams and believed that spending considerably more on it compared to other RV’s was justified because of the quality and longevity they preach about. Wow, was I wrong about that. To date, my unit has had 3 A/C’s, the glass shower door shattered when it was sitting still, neither one of the fans in roof vents work, the fresh water tank has had to be replaced, one of the wheel fenders have fallen off, the exterior trim has fallen off around half of the unit, the toilet leaks all over the floor, and the front rock guards are now falling off due to the brackets holding them on have fractured out huge holes in the exterior aluminum skin. Please keep in mind that this unit has been garage kept when not in use the entire time I have owned it. Buyers beware!! The Airstreams of today are not what they used to be and are definitely not worth what they are asking for them nowadays. I am close to spending in excess of $20K on mine in repairs during the 9 years I have owned it. Not exactly the Airstream experience I dreamed of!!!

[BayouBiker]

So sorry for your bad experience. Statistics say there will be some lemons and I'm sad to hear of yours. My experience has been nearly flawless, It has been one of the true joys in our family's troubled life. When I look back at the things we did, getting an Airstream will be one of the best.

[uraljohn]

Sorry you had bad luck.

2 new Airstreams. 2017 international Serenity 23D. 17k miles over 2 years and just a couple of very minor items fixed under warranty at JC. 2019 FC 25 RBT. had it just over a year with 140+ nights and everything works as it should and has really good fit and finish. Did have to replace batteries due do dealer not maintaining while on lot. No problem, dealer reimbursed us for batteries.

You are dissatisfied with Airstream. Try another brand. Jayco, Coleman, Forest River, Winnebago, Lance or one of many others, You may have a more satisfying experience.

You mentioned "the Airstreams of today are not what they used to be". Go find one 15/20/30/40/50 years old and buy it. You have the freedom to do that.

Please post your experience with an SOB in 9 years.

[Acheron2010]

On the bright side, you have enough material for a fine country song.

[rbs]

wow, a squeak in the floor doesn't seen all that bad anymore

[majorairhead]

I'd entertain viewing some photos of this unit.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Alumalemon

Just wondering if many people have had an experience like this with their airstream?? I have been very dissatisfied with mine and Airstream has been very reluctant to help in anyway!! Let’s just say my Airstream experience over the past 9 years has been very disappointing. I purchased my 2012 25 ft. Eddie Bauer edition brand new in 2011. I have always admired Airstreams and believed that spending considerably more on it compared to other RV’s was justified because of the quality and longevity they preach about. Wow, was I wrong about that. To date, my unit has had 3 A/C’s, the glass shower door shattered when it was sitting still, neither one of the fans in roof vents work, the fresh water tank has had to be replaced, one of the wheel fenders have fallen off, the exterior trim has fallen off around half of the unit, the toilet leaks all over the floor, and the front rock guards are now falling off due to the brackets holding them on have fractured out huge holes in the exterior aluminum skin. Please keep in mind that this unit has been garage kept when not in use the entire time I have owned it. Buyers beware!! The Airstreams of today are not what they used to be and are definitely not worth what they are asking for them nowadays. I am close to spending in excess of $20K on mine in repairs during the 9 years I have owned it. Not exactly the Airstream experience I dreamed of!!!

I wish I had your problems. There is a very small handful of travel trailers available that have better reported quality, but guess what? They ALL use the same add on parts. All of them. Every one. Air conditioner failed? There are two manufacturers of air conditioners. Feel free to try the other brand, just don't complain because it sticks up like a box on top of your trailer, and prepare to buy three or four of those over the course of a decade, as well. Fans? Which ones? There are two different ones that do different things up there. If they are the main Fantastic vents, when is the last time you went up and performed any kind of maintenance on them? The plastic wheel well garnishes are pretty much held on with double sided tape in order to keep from making more holes in the sides that may leak. The method of attachment sucks, and they have sopped putting them on trailers.
When is the last time you went on the roof and checked to see if anything was deteriorating, and resealed any seams? It' supposed to be done at least annually, no matter where it is stored and used.

[TRIPPPIN]

I have the same year and model and have not had too many problems. I replaced the water heater circuit board, replace the mounts for the dining table to reduce wobble replaced the tank monitors that were unreliable and replaced the inverter to a 3 stage. Everything else done were upgrades only.

[CBWELL]

Airstream doesn't make A/C units. The most common cause of failure is low voltage. Do you have a low voltage protector? Power spikes also cause problems. Do you have a surge protector? Have you done any maintenance on the ceiling fans? Does the toilet leak because it was never looked at and had a water line tightened? Going down the road shakes these units , like all things going down the road. You have to look after things, tighten things and do general repair yourself or have a competent dealer repair and prevent problems. Interesting that after 9 years of ownership this is your first post on this site.

[TG Twinkie]

The defense attorneys have spoken.
So it is useless to complain.

If the low dollar trailers were given the same attention as A$ owners give their units. They might last as long. IMHO.
I just saw an add for a 30+ foot Airstream. A 2020 model. MSRP
$170,000.00.
Is owning an A$ really worth that kind of money?

[rideair]

There's a reason why the RV industry has worked very hard to keep "RV Lemon Laws" off the books.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQUJsbRV8qM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjrFYXQMT9g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iub0v_wjGlg

[Alumalemon]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

I'd entertain viewing some photos of this unit.

[PHP][/https://www.airforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=371127&stc=1&d=1593042 638

[Alumalemon]

Originally Posted by CBWELL

Airstream doesn't make A/C units. The most common cause of failure is low voltage. Do you have a low voltage protector? Power spikes also cause problems. Do you have a surge protector? Have you done any maintenance on the ceiling fans? Does the toilet leak because it was never looked at and had a water line tightened? Going down the road shakes these units , like all things going down the road. You have to look after things, tighten things and do general repair yourself or have a competent dealer repair and prevent problems. Interesting that after 9 years of ownership this is your first post on this site.

After 9 years I’m fed up with it and just curious to see if other Airstream owners have similar experiences

[panamerican]

Originally Posted by Alumalemon

Just wondering if many people have had an experience like this with their airstream?? I have been very dissatisfied with mine and Airstream has been very reluctant to help in anyway!! Let’s just say my Airstream experience over the past 9 years has been very disappointing. I purchased my 2012 25 ft. Eddie Bauer edition brand new in 2011. I have always admired Airstreams and believed that spending considerably more on it compared to other RV’s was justified because of the quality and longevity they preach about. Wow, was I wrong about that. To date, my unit has had 3 A/C’s, the glass shower door shattered when it was sitting still, neither one of the fans in roof vents work, the fresh water tank has had to be replaced, one of the wheel fenders have fallen off, the exterior trim has fallen off around half of the unit, the toilet leaks all over the floor, and the front rock guards are now falling off due to the brackets holding them on have fractured out huge holes in the exterior aluminum skin. Please keep in mind that this unit has been garage kept when not in use the entire time I have owned it. Buyers beware!! The Airstreams of today are not what they used to be and are definitely not worth what they are asking for them nowadays. I am close to spending in excess of $20K on mine in repairs during the 9 years I have owned it. Not exactly the Airstream experience I dreamed of!!!

I get it, it's been rough. I am not saying what you are sharing isn't justified and by saying other brands are worse not only doesn't help, but is also not a complement either...I mean, Airstream is better than a POS, does that really make the Airstream better or sound better? Not really.

I have been very critical of Airstream and I tend to agree that what I've read on this forum alone has been very sobering in fact some issues in reading the hundreds of quality pages show trends in problems that simply have not been addressed in over a decade. I mean seriously, the same problems on the same trailers in the same places over and over, year after year. That's not cool. Hand built or not.

In your case, some of the issues I would be looking at would be your connection to the tow vehicle. Airstreams love soft rides. I have had 2 Airstrems towing with a 3/4 ton truck and never have I had the front rock guards work their way loose as you are describing. It's true Airstream doesn't make most of the products they install and given some of your issues, I too would question the power sources and look into one of those high end surge suppressors I've been reading about here. Just too many issues with electrical and it's not that they are not getting power, but they may not be getting clean, level consistent power.

Fresh tank, don't know what or why it had to be replaced, but in that regard it would not shock me to find that it was just thrown in, I had a kinked drain valve hose that reduced the water flow. Not an easy fix and could have possibly been avoided among a number of other things I found.

Anyway, I feel your pain and I do fully agree that the quality on new(er) Airstreams is hit or miss and when it's a miss, it's a real bummer when you understand the amount of cash spent on a cool product that was "hand crafted" by a few folks that basically don't give a..... I mean I loved the post I read where someone found food wrappers in the not easily visible spots...that's the mentality of some, not all the folks on the line, but can translate into poor build quality and customer dissatisfaction.

Trust is a hard thing to get back once you loose it. Airstream has some amends to make with it's customer base. I am very happy to hear the handful of folks singing Airstream's praises, and I am sure they are equally warranted.

The way I see it, a number of the things you post about I would be looking at from a tow vehicle/connection issue and a power issue. Clearly these prob won't solve a leaking toilet, but as hard as I am on Airstream, some of these may be unknowingly self inflicted. Even I have learned a lot here on things I didn't realize I was doing wrong, and you might not be doing anything wrong, but I don't have enough info to say either way. But without that info to analyze your situation more thoroughly, I'm not sure I'd be to the point of Airstream disaster yet. Just my opinion.

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

We are only 3 years into owning our airstream and living in it full time. No issues yet but I can let you know if 5 more years what I need to replace. I’m kind of expecting it to be honest with you. There were always things that broke down or needed replacing in my house. That thing doesn’t roll down the road constantly shaking everything.

Sorry to hear you are tired of your AS and moving on to some other brand. Maybe sticks and bricks home would be a good option too?

[Alumalemon]

Here is a picture of the issue I am most upset with. This is happening on both sides of the unit. Several people have requested a picture of this issue. Here it is. Any ideas on what I did or didn’t do that caused this problem to arise??

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

Did you guys it used like that or is that what happened over 8 years of the bracket rubbing on the aluminum?

Well, if it makes you feel better, Airstream redesigned that front area already. Or at least our ‘18 classic guards look like they are on there a bit more sturdy.

[Alumalemon]

Originally Posted by BigSxyWhtGuy

Did you guys it used like that or is that what happened over 8 years of the bracket rubbing on the aluminum?

Well, if it makes you feel better, Airstream redesigned that front area already. Or at least our ‘18 classic guards look like they are on there a bit more sturdy.

We bought this unit brand new. This is what has happened in the 9 years we have had it. Very poor design for sure. I think Airstream knows that, but won’t admit it at this point. However, they have now changed how they do it. Guess I’m part of their test team!! Attaching the brackets to thin aluminum skin is a very big design flaw.

[n2916s]

I can’t even imagine what would do that. Most of the weight of the guards is carried on the inboard hinge.

I ran out and looked at my 2008 and there is no evidence of anything similar. Nor have I ever read anything on this forum about a like failure.

A real mystery...

[drairstream]

My guess is your bolts at the end came loose and weren’t seen, then tore the other out from the wobble. Airstreams do require watching closely. I’ve rehabbed a 99 Safari and had very few issues, though I came close to having your issue. Seems like boats, RV’s all require diligence to keep in one piece