****NOTE - NEED INFO ON TIRES**** I PURCHASED A NEW 2018 HEARTLAND BIGHORN TRAVELER 39MB FIFTH WHEEL RV ON 10/11/2017. ON 09/17/2018, I DISCOVERED A FLAT TIRE ON THIS RV, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE AN ISSUE OF TREAD SEPARATION RATHER THAN A PUNCTURE. ON 09/20/2018, WHILE STILL UNDER THE ONE YEAR WARRANTY PERIOD, I REPLACED ALL FIVE TIRES (INCLUDING SPARE), WITH LOAD RANGE "G" TIRES. AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE, HEARTLAND INSTALLED TRAIL KING ST235/85/16 LOAD RANGE "E" TIRES ON THIS RV. THE MAXIMUM LOAD RATING FOR THESE TIRES IS 3640 LBS TIMES FOUR TIRES IS A TOTAL WEIGHT RATING CAPACITY OF 14,560 LBS. THE GVWR OF THIS RV IS 15,500 LBS. THE TIRES THAT HEARTLAND INSTALLED ARE 940 LBS. BELOW THE GVWR OF THIS RV, THEREFORE CAUSING EXCESSIVE HEAT AND TREAD SEPARATION. UPON CONTACTING HEARTLAND ABOUT THIS MATTER, I WAS INFORMED VIA EMAIL THAT, "THOSE ARE THE CORRECT TIRES BEING USED DURING THE PRODUCTION PERIOD WHEN YOUR UNIT WAS BUILT. THE REASON THOSE TIRES ARE ADEQUATE IS BECAUSE THE ENTIRETY OF THE WEIGHT OF THE UNIT IS NEVER ON JUST THE TIRES. IT IS SPREAD OVER THE TOTAL LENGTH OF NEARLY 42' OF UNIT." HEARTLAND REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT MY SITUATION AND IS NOW INSTALLING LOAD RANGE "G" TIRES ON THE 2019 MODELS (WHICH CARRY THE SAME SPECIFICATIONS AS MY 2018). HEARTLAND FURTHER STATED THAT THIS IS BECAUSE HEARTLAND WENT "ABOVE AND BEYOND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY", NOT BECAUSE THERE WAS A PROBLEM. IT IS MY OPINION THAT HEARTLAND INSTALLED UNDER RATED TIRES ON THIS RV, WHICH CAUSED A S
2018 Heartland Bighorn
Routine
Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the wheels. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsWheels
Filed Nov 17, 20181,500 milesNY
1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2013| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2026 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2022 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2018 — this page | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2017 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2015 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2014 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2013 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2012 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2011 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2007 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.