2002 Itasca Sunova problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (1) · Steering (1)
Safety recalls (1)
Equipment 2010-10-26 · campaign 10V525000 · 18,461 vehicles
Defect: WINNEBAGO IS RECALLING CERTAIN RECREATIONAL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1200-SERIES NORCOLD REFRIGERATORS. THE POPULATION OF REFRIGERATORS BEING ADDRESSED CONTAINS EITHER A SENSING ALGORITHM OR THERMAL SWITCH TO SHUT OFF POWER TO THE REFRIGERATOR WHEN HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE DETECTED IN ORDER TO PREVENT A POTENTIAL FIRE. THE RESPONSE TIMES OF THE SENSOR ALGORITHM AND THERMAL SWITCH DEVICES TO STOP POWER ARE NOT SUFFICIENT.
Risk: THE SENSING ALGORITHM OR THERMAL SWITCH INSTALLED TO SHUT OFF POWER TO THE REFRIGERATOR WHEN HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE DETECTED DUE TO A POSSIBLE HYDROGEN GAS LEAK MAY NOT SHUT OFF IN SUFFICIENT TIME TO PREVENT A FIRE.
Fix: WINNEBAGO IS WORKING WITH NORCOLD TO IDENTIFY AND NOTIFY ANY AFFECTED OWNERS. OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT NORCOLD DEALERS TO RECEIVE THE REMEDY FREE OF CHARGE. PLEASE SEE NORCOLD'S DEFECT REPORT 10E-049 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING DECEMBER 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NORCOLD AT 1-800-767-9101 OR WINNEBAGO AT 1-641-585-3535.
What owners report
2014-05-07 · Steering · 5,000 mi“motor home shut down completely at 55 mph. loss of brakes, steering and engine shut down-towed to service. crank case sensor failure! this same situation occurred again yesterday after being repaired. this is a very serious safety problem! workhorse 2002 itasca. once a manufacturing defect! twice is not! someone will get hurt pending where they are…”
2012-05-16 · Structure:body · 40,100 mi“while travelling in the slow lane of a 4 lane freeway the right front wheel arch panel literally blew off with no warning, it is a large enough fiberglass panel and could easily have killed a nearby motorcyclist or even the driver of a small car travelling alongside at freeway speed. i believe this is a manufacturer defect due to the poor method of…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.