Methodology
This page explains where the records come from, how a recall or complaint is matched to an RV model year, what every count means and what this site does not calculate. Method v1, parser 1.0.0, data generated 2026-09-19 (September 19, 2026).
The question this site answers
For a given RV make, model and model year: which recall campaigns apply, how many consumer complaints NHTSA holds, and which components those complaints name. Each record links to the official notice.
Coverage. NHTSA records released through September 19, 2026; Transport Canada records through September 19, 2026. The launch covers 49 RV families in 10 makes and model years 2015 to 2026. 1787 of the 1787 data pages are indexable; every other page is built but marked noindex, and the sitemap lists indexable pages only. Currently 800 campaigns are linked (693 own, 106 inherited, 1 equipment). The absence of a recall in this dataset does not establish that a vehicle is safe.
Sources and cadence
- NHTSA recalls, complaints and investigations flat files. These are whole-file downloads that NHTSA refreshes daily. The pipeline downloads them, keeps each raw download by date, and compares a hash of every record to detect revisions and removals.
- NHTSA API. Used only for incremental spot checks against the flat files, not as the main source.
- NHTSA vPIC. Reference only. Its vehicle type coverage for RV makes is partial, so it is not used to decide scope or identity.
- Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database API. Canadian notices, shown separately from U.S. campaigns.
See the sources page for owners, licences and access details.
How records are matched
- Names. NHTSA make and model strings for RVs are inconsistent. A reference list of aliases maps those strings to a family. Only reviewed alias rows link a string to a family. The current rows were reviewed on 2026-09-19 and are provisional until the site owner spot checks them.
- Families. The launch families were chosen from pipeline candidates ranked by campaigns and complaints. Their approval is provisional until the site owner reviews the list.
- Chassis. A chassis row exists only when an NHTSA recall notice names that chassis for that motorhome. Notices that name only a chassis maker with no model were skipped. Towables have no chassis rows.
- Inherited recalls. A chassis recall is attached to a coach only within the chassis model year, which is assumed to equal the coach model year.
- Equipment recalls. Recalls on installed equipment (for example appliances or axles) attach only through reviewed rules, because equipment notices seldom name an RV family and years.
- Canadian notices. A Transport Canada notice is shown next to a U.S. campaign only when the manufacturer campaign numbers match, the model matches, the years overlap and a person reviewed the pair. Canadian notices are never merged into U.S. campaigns and are not counted in U.S. totals.
Definitions of the counts
| Count | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Own recalls | Campaigns that name the RV make and model directly, matched through the reviewed aliases. |
| Inherited recalls | Chassis maker campaigns that apply to the chassis of that coach for that model year. |
| Equipment recalls | Campaigns on installed equipment that attach through a reviewed rule. |
| Complaints | Distinct NHTSA complaint records (ODI numbers) for the family and model year. One record can name several components. |
| Days since latest campaign | Days from the report received date of the newest linked campaign to the NHTSA source release date on that page. |
| Complaint component share | Complaints naming a component divided by all complaints for the page. Because a complaint can carry several component tags, shares can add up to more than 100 percent. |
| Hazard recurrence | For a make, own campaigns per component category and the number of years with a campaign in that category, by year the report was received, within the window 2015 to 2026. |
What is never computed
No rate per unit sold, no score or ranking of reliability, no failure probability and no repair cost. NHTSA complaint data has no sales denominator and complaints are not verified failures, so those figures would not be supportable.
Complaint handling
Complaints are consumer reports to NHTSA. They are not verified failures and do not prove a defect. Narratives are redacted here to remove names, email addresses, phone numbers, VINs and street addresses. Redaction uses pattern rules plus the personal fields NHTSA supplies on the same record, so it can miss unusual text. The raw text is never published. Each model year page shows at most five excerpts, chosen as the most recent complaints that have a non-empty narrative.
Limits
- Chassis model year is assumed equal to coach model year. That is often true and not always.
- NHTSA make and model strings are inconsistent, so a complaint or recall can be missed if it uses a string that is not in the reviewed alias list.
- The launch covers 49 families in 10 makes and model years 2015 to 2026. Other RVs are not covered.
- Reviews of aliases, families, chassis rows and related notices are marked provisional where the site owner has not yet spot checked them.
- The absence of a recall in this dataset does not establish that a vehicle is safe.
- Manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins) are not used because no working public download was found.
Versions and update cadence
Method v1, parser 1.0.0. NHTSA refreshes its files daily. A pipeline run ingests them, derives the counts and exports JSON into the site repository, then triggers a Cloudflare Pages deploy hook. This build used the NHTSA release of 2026-09-19 (September 19, 2026). Each page states its own source release date.