Coachmen Santara Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 10 consumer complaints across the 2 model years of the Coachmen Santara (1998–1999) that have at least 5 complaints. 1999 has the most, with 5. Across all years, the part named most often is brakes (4 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Santara model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 5 | 22,000 | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1998 | 5 | 30,472 | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Brakes4 36%
- Tires2 18%
- Vehicle speed control1 9.1%
- Steering1 9.1%
- Other or unknown1 9.1%
- Fuel system1 9.1%
- Engine cooling1 9.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1999: “Upon pulling out of the camp ground and when the brake pedal was depressed brake warning light came on, and the brake failed to stop the motor home. The emergency brake had to be engaged to stop the motor home. Dealership inspected the brake system. The brake lines under the motor home were rusted, and had a pin size hole in it. This was not due to normal wear and tear. The motor home was mounted on a ford, e450 super duty chassis.”
NHTSA complaint #10089613, filed 2004-08, 28,000 miles1998: “1998 Coachmen Santara awning made by dometic a&e, model 8500, blew open with a gust of wind. The ensuing vibration caused the front support arm to deploy and drop down. Had there been another vehicle next to us it would have caused an accident to them and our motorhome. This awning, and other models like it,now have a new mechanism to prevent this deployment, but there are many thousands on the road with the old mechanism and no recall issued by the company to replace them, and these tens of thousands motorhome owners are at risk of an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #10038884, filed 2003-09, 20,502 milesOther Coachmen models
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology