RV's that are Lemons

J-Rooster: 'Lemons' really don't happen that much. I don't know what you're reading to get so anxious about this but in all these forums folks don't make a post titled 'I have no problems with my RV'. You're reading about people that do. There are many, many other owners who are very satisfied in what they have. Yes, you might have some issues but they won't be 'lemon' types.

Look forward and excited to getting a new RV, not apprehensive and doom and gloom.

I think you can get a Lemon on any brand Rooster. Odds do hit on even the most popular brands.

My friend in 2003 bought a new DutchStar by Newmar. He did not have any problems with the chassis, but he sure had problems with the house part, cabinets coming off their securement, same with the microwave oven. He claimed it was a lemon, but the dealer did not consider it a lemon, but they sure took a long time to fix all the problems.

So what some owners consider a lemon might actually be a bad dealer that do not give a darn about the coaches they sell once they leave their grounds.

A helpful point of information for future posts. You would have received a much better response and salient answers if you stated why you were inquiring instead of leaving it open ended. Your opening line only stated that you wanted to "assume some information". For what purpose! You also sent a mixed message in your second response by saying you were looking into new units as well as thinking a newer used DP. After the fact, we might be able to digest your intentions to better understand your concerns. They weren't very clear to begin with.

As to the OP original question, nearly all states have lemon laws covering the CHASSIS portion of the motorhome for safety related defects. The HOUSE portions are specifically excluded. I believe California and Rhode Island are the only states to fully cover the entire unit. When a coach is determined to be a lemon it is repurchased by the manufacturer from the owner LESS a stipulated amount for mileage. The title is then branded as a lemon law buy back. At that point the manufacturer either sells it as-is or sends it to a auction in a friendly state such as Missouri that does not recognize out of state branded titles. In any event the coach is sold on to the next owner either with a branded or a "washed" title. Something you have to realize, the RV Industry has lobbied hard and long to keep themselves exempt from regulation. Dealing with an RV dealer or manufacturer is like the automobile business was in the 1950's or 1960's. It's pay your money and take your chances....

1. IF the RV is indeed condemned as a Lemon, the OWNER(Chassis maker or the Coach maker) after losing the suit, can then sell the RV, but it is designated a LEMON. The next purchaser must be told it is a Lemon. They are NOT destroyed.
2. Lemon's are NOT ALWAYS lemon's. We had 2- 2000 Dutchstar Diesel's that were determine Lemons 15 years ago. They both had chassis issues that both Newmar and Freightliner stated were not an issue but the State made them buy them back. One of our Salesman bought a unit and a friend of his bought the other. They both owned them for 13 years and put over 120k miles and NEVER had the issue that brought the Lemon suit.
3. When our Salesman sold the unit a few years ago(private sale, not thru the Dealership) he disclosed that the unit WAS a Lemon law unit 14 years ago, just to make sure he had no liability.
4. The Customer gets some money back, rarely do they get a new unit.
Some OEM's, when notice is filed on a lemon, may try to swap out the unit with a new unit at no charge. BUT, interestingly enough, very few customers take this option, which usually shows they have buyers remorse and NOT a real lemon. They use the Lemon law to get out of the deal. Doug

In my opinion I think what you may find is that most RV problems are not so much with the RV as they are with the dealer's service department. A lot of complaints mention the amount of time it has taken to get their coach repaired or that it took a few visits for the dealer actually find what was wrong and to correct the problem.
From reading the posts on this forum, it seems that a lot of RV dealers just do not have professional mechanics that know how to properly diagnose the problem. They throw parts at a problem with the hope that it fixes it.
In most cases where the owners have posted the solution for their problem, it was NOT a major issue, but rather a somewhat simple issue that, once discovered, was corrected.
Of course when you are on the road, and your RV breaks down, the only thing you are interested in is getting it repaired and back on the road again. If you are lucky enough to find the right RV shop that has professional mechanics, this may be a quick and inexpensive turnaround. If not, you are at the mercy of incompetence and you will think that you have an RV that is a lemon when, in reality, you are just dealing with one of the many poor RV service departments.

Contact the State where purchased and ask about their lemon laws.
Product complaints get the majority of media attention, but are a small percentage of the total number. Positives would overwhelm servers if they got that same percentage of media exposure.

Just a thought...I would consider a higher end DP that is a repo., then do your due diligence as far a inspections. For added protection, consider purchasing an extended warranty for items you may have missed. Figure about $4k for the EW/4 yr coverage. Any issues will pop up within that time period. After that, put your money in a separate maintenance slush account....Our coach was a year old, a repo and we saved over 50% on it.....Dennis

Nearly all RVs are lemons compared to even the worst modern car. Plain and simple.

Lemon Laws apply to the chassis in most states, but rarely the rest of the coach. And.... it may only apply to the first owner... so do your own due diligence for your state.

I think the chances of buying a used lemon diesel pusher is low, but beware of potential repair costs. Basically, the more it cost new, the more it cost to fix things. Also keep in mind that some owners with a problematic coach find is easier to take a loss trading it in, vs the hassle of applying a lemon law to an RV. The RV industry has very good lobbyists who've made sure the MFG always wins.

On the flip side... there are aftermarket "warranties" (really service contracts or breakdown insurance) you could purchase for a used coach.

Thanks Randy, this is the response that I was looking for! The wife and I are thinking about buying a new RV. I'm fearful of the quality of some of the new RV's from consumer complaints that we have been reading (a website other than RV.Net) and I don't want to purchase a Ford Chassis. I'm thinking about a newer used D.P. but didn't want to purchase one that had a lot of trouble. And, I wasn't aware of the term damaged titles, I'll watch for that. I'm not in a hurry to buy and I'm getting close to paying off my Winnebago. Were going to go check out RV's at the Tacoma RV Show this coming October 6th. Hope to meet Gary Bunzer there.