2017 Big Country with Big Problems

[MFD41]

Anyone else feel like every time they go camping, something goes wrong with their camper? This is our 3rd camper and yes, each camper has had problems.... but nothing like this. We bought our 2017 Big Country new last year. Here is what has gone wrong thus far.....

3 days off the lot, in Myrtle Beach, 1 of 2 kitchen slide outs leaked (poured) water inside every time it rained.
Kitchen table top came loose from base while eating lunch, and flipped end over end almost hitting my daughter in the face
Light fixture above kitchen table fell off hitting kitchen table and shattered in a million pieces
Fridge has completely stopped working on 2 different trips
Bedroom a/c unit stopped working in Myrtle Beach
Bedroom slide out shearing off screw heads and needed readjusted
Awning arms out of whack and needed realigned
And just last weekend, the gas portion of the water heater stopped working.

It pretty sad that the service manager has told me more than once, "we've literally had your camper here longer than you've had it."

I was hoping to get better craftsmanship and a higher quality product with the Big Country. We had a Forest River Sierra 5er. Turns out, we just made a BIG MISTAKE
.

 

['Lil Guy']

Feel your frustration. Haven't had any serious issues yet. I try to fix my own problems (with the help of the HOC memberslol). Have you looked to see if you have the rubber seal flippers on the top and sides of your slides. I lost one of mine and had to replace it. Good luck and hopefully these issues will be the last you encounter.

 

[ram22]

Ditto, slide failed to retract, heater stopped working, awning collapsed under weight of rain water... all in first year of use with North Trail 22FBS.


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[wdk450]

You know you are in Ohio, next state over from Indiana (and the Heartland Service Center) in Elkhart. Maybe you could make some calls and get set up to have the factory guys look at your rig.

 

[TravelTiger]

Sounds like a combination of things:

1. Dealer did not do a thorough PDI before you took possession
2. You got a bad batch of some components.

I hate it when I read posts like this, some of your issues have been talked about here.

1. Light fixture - I had a similar thing happen twice! Heartland sent a new fixture the first time, and new globe the second. We now remove the globe for travel.

2. Is your fridge residential or the Norcold LP? How did it stop working? Maybe the forum can give guidance on this.

3. Bedroom AC - there's been a rash of failed Dometic ACs over the past year and a half. I they've been redesigned now I believe.

The awning, tabletop, bedroom Slide and kitchen leak are things your dealer probably should have caught and fixed before you took delivery. Sadly, some dealers just want to move units and deal with fixes after you take delivery.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, the Big Country is a great product and once you get the bugs worked out, I hope you can enjoy it for a long time!


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[Shortest Straw]

Our light fixture in the dining area fell off on our first trip. It fell off after swinging around some, ripped a 10 inch gash in the ceiling, then ruined a screen when it fell off of the wiring, and left a big dent in the table. Of course the fixture shattered at impact and we had glass everywhere. It was installed at the factory using only 2 screws into the plywood. That does not create much confidence that everything is installed correctly. Next day our retractable tv was completely off of the mounts. Many of the drawers in this rig do not have the catches installed so they open during travel. Adding that to check during a PDI if we ever get a new rig. I am going to have to rebuild the storage under the bed in order to use it because there are no supports under the plywood. Most of our windows do not have a complete gasket around them to seal when closed. So far everything else seems to be in order and we consider ourselves fortunate for that. We have not experienced rain as of yet. We have a bit over 1000 miles on this rig hoping that this thing stays together. We owned our North Trail and our Oakmont nearly 5 years combined and didn't have anything like this happen to either of those two rigs combined.

 

[meagle]

Your experience sounds like mine. The first year my Landmark was at the RV repair shop more than it was in use. I believe that Heartland has a poor quality assurance program and controls. Based on all of my issues a very good friend of mine chose SOB after seeing all of my issues. He purchased a new Montana and so far has had no problems. Poor quality control will eventually hurt Heartland. As I've said in previous posts...I really enjoy my floor plan, how comfortable the coach is, and how well it tows, but the big but...I have had RV's for over 30 years and my Landmark has had more problems than all of the others combined!

 

[LBR]

Post #3 and got the 'ole Bandwagon a rolling along pretty good already...

Good luck with getting your minor issues fixed, OP.

 

[BSHGTO]

Not getting that warm and fuzzy feeling about buying an 2018 BC 4011ERD at Camping World in Myrtle Beach. The price is right on for the size, 10,000 less than the Montana RD and can`t keep them in stock but have had 2 Big Country 4011ERD`s for some time at a reduced price. That being said the Montana I currently own has had 1 issue the landing gear motor died and I replaced it rather than take it in for service. But the complaints here sound just like the complaints on the Montana forum board I belong to. I mean no difference just a different Brand name. Do I want to roll the dice and maybe end up with a mess or stick with a no issue camper? Decisions, Decisions. Sure like that BC rear den.

 

[carl.swoyer]

Sounds like a combination of things:

1. Dealer did not do a thorough PDI before you took possession
2. You got a bad batch of some components.

I hate it when I read posts like this, some of your issues have been talked about here.

1. Light fixture - I had a similar thing happen twice! Heartland sent a new fixture the first time, and new globe the second. We now remove the globe for travel.

2. Is your fridge residential or the Norcold LP? How did it stop working? Maybe the forum can give guidance on this.

3. Bedroom AC - there's been a rash of failed Dometic ACs over the past year and a half. I they've been redesigned now I believe.

The awning, tabletop, bedroom Slide and kitchen leak are things your dealer probably should have caught and fixed before you took delivery. Sadly, some dealers just want to move units and deal with fixes after you take delivery.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, the Big Country is a great product and once you get the bugs worked out, I hope you can enjoy it for a long time!


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Sadly, I disagree.
If heartland factory would develope an in depth pre delivery inspection at the factory the new purchase experience would be enjoyable. Instead heartland factory is pushing quantity not quality. Again, a detailed factory PDI would eliminate warranty claims. This process would increase bottom line profits. And the buyer experience would be unbelievable. The money that is paid out to dealers is insane. The worst part is, the dealership's love selling them and then knowingly placing there new customers into the long warranty process. I just don't understand why the factory doesn't clean up problem production lines.

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[CDN]

We just had a great 1st season with our Bighorn. Picked up March 1st. We have a trim piece with issues and can not seem to get the right finish. Fixed a lot of small things ourselves. Done lots of Mods.

As far as PDI, the owner has to take control, get the dealer to fix if before taking it off the lot. I agree QC is need of improvement, compared to the old trailer we have owned Heartland is much better.

 

[TravelTiger]

Sadly, I disagree.
If heartland factory would develope an in depth pre delivery inspection at the factory the new purchase experience would be enjoyable. Instead heartland factory is pushing quantity not quality. Again, a detailed factory PDI would eliminate warranty claims. This process would increase bottom line profits. And the buyer experience would be unbelievable. The money that is paid out to dealers is insane. The worst part is, the dealership's love selling them and then knowingly placing there new customers into the long warranty process. I just don't understand why the factory doesn't clean up problem production lines.

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Carl, I don't disagree with you. Yesterday's business model of sending RVs with a handful of minor issues that the dealer can fix is no longer working. RVs are going out the door with a lot more issues, due to the fact they are pushing them out faster than ever before, with a questionable workforce, and still expecting the dealer to catch things before it gets in the hands of a customer.

You are right, the change needs to happen on a factory level. I was just explaining to the OP that currently, the dealer is expected to do a PDI. That obviously didn't happen.

I have been reading that a more thorough PDI is beginning to be a new focal point for some manufacturers. As consumers, we speak with our dollars, but our pressure has to motivate the dealer to push back on the manufacturers, to effect change. Dealers are the RV manufacturer's customer first, the end consumer is second.




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[BigGuy82]

Sadly, I disagree.
If heartland factory would develope an in depth pre delivery inspection at the factory the new purchase experience would be enjoyable. Instead heartland factory is pushing quantity not quality. Again, a detailed factory PDI would eliminate warranty claims. This process would increase bottom line profits. And the buyer experience would be unbelievable. The money that is paid out to dealers is insane. The worst part is, the dealership's love selling them and then knowingly placing there new customers into the long warranty process. I just don't understand why the factory doesn't clean up problem production lines.

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Actually, these guys are either too young or just chose to ignore the lessons the Japanese taught Detroit back in the 70’s. Doing a PDI at the factory or the dealer is exactly the wrong way to run a business. You need to build the quality in at every single step of the manufacturing process so that no final inspection is needed. The fact that there are so many problems present at the consumer level is literally indicative of a flawed, backwards manufacturing process.

Manufacturers think they have no reason to improve this because pretty much every RV production line is not at all efficient and yet they sell all they can make. I guess they don’t feel increasing profits is sufficient reason to change their paradigm. It is a pretty much accepted principle that building in quality leads to a better bottom line.

Consumers share in the blame because most are obsessed with “saving” a few hundred dollars over the term of a 5 year loan. Myself? I’d gladly pony up a little extra every month for a quality product.


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[carl.swoyer]

Carl, I don't disagree with you. Yesterday's business model of sending RVs with a handful of minor issues that the dealer can fix is no longer working. RVs are going out the door with a lot more issues, due to the fact they are pushing them out faster than ever before, with a questionable workforce, and still expecting the dealer to catch things before it gets in the hands of a customer.

You are right, the change needs to happen on a factory level. I was just explaining to the OP that currently, the dealer is expected to do a PDI. That obviously didn't happen.

I have been reading that a more thorough PDI is beginning to be a new focal point for some manufacturers. As consumers, we speak with our dollars, but our pressure has to motivate the dealer to push back on the manufacturers, to effect change. Dealers are the RV manufacturer's customer first, the end consumer is second.




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I believe that dealership's are doing an acceptance inspection. The one that is done from the point that they received the unit from the factory.
After they sell the unit they rush customers thru the delivery process. The customer missing most of the things that are wrong. The dealership are making alot of money abusing the warranty claim process.

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[Divotf15]

Well,
we have had our 010 RD for just over a year now. We had only one problem. The 4 way water valve cartridge went bad. Heartland overnited it to us fo a 5 min fix. Make that two... the ac was reading 32 degrees inside and would not cool. Connector got wet. Dried it out and has worked perfect ever since. Hope I can give some confidence. Remember, most forum posts are about problems. You don't hear much from all the ones that aren't having problems.

 

[fastcarsspeed]

I agree that a PDI should not have to be so extensive at the factory or at the dealer after coming off the line. If you look at the following areas you know things could be improved at the factory level and not have customers asking the same questions on these boards every single day.

1. Properly route electrical wire the same way in every coach made. If this means making chases and such it would be great.
2. Properly route low voltage lines the same way every time again just as number one.
3. Properly assemble plumbing and doing valid pressure checks on each component during the install process.
4. Simplify the trim processes inside the coach so there is not soo many issues with staples coming out.
5. Use better fixtures throughout the coach. Lights, faucets, etc.. stop trying to make them look so fancy but be so cheap that they break on the first couple camping trips.


I feel like they need to go watch how aircraft are manufactured and take some of their approaches. I don't want to hear excuses about skilled labor as the processes are repeatable and would be performed way better if there was a standard process and procedure to assembly. I have seen enough videos and other than the assembly of the major components such as structure everything else is organized chaos at best.

I love my cyclone and compared to my little outback we had before the quality is definitely better but again I still have run into the same type of issues that we did with our 20k rv that we are with a 80k rv and that is just frustrating. I do however wish owners would be more informed and understand that at the end of the day these coaches are Mobile Homes that are truly mobile and are affected by the roads and conditions of the areas you travel to. Things will loosen up and have to be tightened and maintained.

 

[wdk450]

Before you even orally commit to buy, ASK about the Pre Delivery Inspection done at the dealership IN DETAIL. PDI was described to us as a guided instruction on how to setup and use all the systems in the RV, and very little emphasis on finding manufacturing problems. In fact, the dealer I purchased from (no longer in business) did not have a 30 amp or 50 amp power hookup. I can't honestly remember if they hooked up a city water source, but I don't think they did. Wouldn't every new RVer like to ACTUALLY go through the sewer dump procedure? I am pretty sure very few dealerships have a dump station.

The reality is that all this education and manufacturing quality checking cannot be done in the typical 2 hours allotted by the dealerships. I think that 4-6 hours is more realistic, and best of all worlds is to have a campsite at the dealership (or close nearby) where you can LIVE in the unit for a weekend and really get to know it and notice any deficiencies.

 

[chipdaniel]

We bought our BC 4010 RD in 2016 and after resolving several issues that took about a nearly a year, we love it and have had no more issues since. We have traveled over 10,000 miles since and looking forward to a 5 month cross-country trip in a few weeks.

 

[farside291]

Same with us, after working the major issues with ours, like when the kitchen slide ripped off a roller and tore a 24 inch by 12 inch long gash in the floor, rotted slide from leaking ice maker line and numerous others, we have been in ours for over 3 years with no issues. Except for when I froze it because I forgot to winterize. TH Heartland Big Country is a great product, just have patience and work the issues eth your dealer as they come up or choose an independent repair facility to do the repairs. This RV is still the best bang for the buck compared to other manufacturers.

 

[Sierra66]

I hate to feel that all campers are made as fast as possible and shoved out the door, but its true. We are relatively young, mid 30’s and bought our first travel trailer about 5 years ago. We have since upgraded to a 5th wheel as the family grew over that time. I have had the belly off my Prowler not once but twice. My fresh water tank fell to the ground ripping everything out with it. It was held in place by thin strips of flat iron and 1/4’’ screws with the tips knocked off as to not puncture the plastic tank. The freshwater tank is different from the other holding tanks. They seem much more robust. Perhaps its a food grade thing. Upon inspecting everything else as it was open I found exposed wiring, crimped air ducts and random wires that actually had 12v on them! No tape, wire nuts, nothing! I realized that without doing much research and new to the game I had what felt we had an entry level camper at best.

Don’t get me wrong, we Love to camp and cant wait to go again every time we get home. It’s just a process I suppose, like anything else. I am one to modify things anyway. I always find something that could be upgraded and do so. There are good campers out there, well I hope there are. I hope that there are options for quality rv’s out there for people who cant spend $80k for one. Ones for young families who want to create memories. Not necessarily ones about disasterous results every trip or PITA items that one shouldn’t be dealing with.

I know a lot of it has to do with general maintenance and the like but I, personally would like to know if my company is building these then I would send quality out there so that more people would get the warm and fuzzys about buying one.