Fleetwood Motorhomes Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

14 Comments

1. George
   Posted March 17, 2009 at 10:40 pm | Permalink

   This whole thing of Decatur’s Economy being so very dependent on the Fleetwood Company is now showing just how bad it was to depend on that Company to be the heavyweight of making our Economy survive or go into a City Depression !!! The previous Mayor of our City had twenty years to at least try to attempt an Economic Growth Plan for a more diversified Industrial Jobs with more ‘large scale’ Industries to locate in Decatur, but absolutely no attempts were made. I sincerely hope that our new Mayor Schultz can really put together an Economic Incentive Plan to attract more middle income paying factory jobs, now that we have seen what twenty years of non-action has led up to.

2. Fred
   Posted March 18, 2009 at 4:38 pm | Permalink

   No one could plan for what we are experiencing in the United States right now. I think for to long people have lived whole on the hog, not being able to go without.

   I would love to see more jobs come to Decatur, but the whole economy needs to improve in order for Decatur’s to improve. Fleetwood has people who want to purchase RV’s but are unable to get financing from banks to be able to order them.

   Fleetwood has a great product line and hopefully will recover in due time.

3. Voter
   Posted March 18, 2009 at 8:02 pm | Permalink

   More excuses!!!

4. Jodie Mayer
   Posted March 19, 2009 at 4:29 pm | Permalink

   I LOVE MY MOTORHOME WE’VE HAD OTHERS AND BY FAR THIS IS THE BEST AMERICAN COACH!!!!!

5. frank parr
   Posted March 31, 2009 at 12:40 pm | Permalink

   It is sad what has happened to fleetwood and other rv manufactures. You can point fingers all you want as to who created this mess. But we’re all to blame. People who had the ability to bring change that would have created more diverse jobs not tied to the automotive industry stood by and did nothing. Corparate CEO’s and others watched as they ran their companies into the ground and made millions in the process. We stood by and let our government allow U.S. companies to send jobs oversees and put their own citizens out of work. I could go on and on. The bottom line is we need to re-create our entire economy. We need jobs that are not so tightly tied to the automotive industry. We need lending institutions to quit camping out in front of their vaults and start lending money for new business. I could put 2000 people to work in Indiana alone if I could get my projects financed!!! I’m committed to making the changes necessary to bring prosperity back to Indiana and the rest of the country. Anybody care to jion me???

6. BOB WILLIAMSON
   Posted April 3, 2009 at 2:39 pm | Permalink

   MY WIFE & I ARE IN OUR FORTH FLEETWOOD COACH,AND I CAN TELL ANY ONE OUT THEIR , NOT ONLY THE PRODUCT BUT PEOPLE THAT MAKE IT HAPPEN ARE THE BEST EVER . THIS COMPANY WILL BE STRONG AGAIN. THIS IS AMERICA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . YOU CAN BET WE ARE NOT GOING TO EVER QUIT TRYING,AND THE BANKING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNOR FROM GETTING BACK TO LENDING . AFTER ALL THEIR IS NO BETTER GROUP OF PEOPLE THAN R V ERS.

7. Ben Dover
   Posted May 3, 2009 at 8:08 am | Permalink

   I thought Fleetwood was a good place to work before I was there but now that I had the experince and I’m gone it was just a J-O-B. There where to many polictics there and wish the Good ‘Ole Boys club well and that they don’t get to broke up!

8. concerned mom
   Posted May 5, 2009 at 7:56 pm | Permalink

   Ben Dover? As in “BENDOVER” ? Very funny…how old are you. ..ten?

9. shannon
   Posted May 20, 2009 at 1:46 pm | Permalink

   boy that sure is a shame. Maybe if they treated their customers better, they would get more return customers. This is coming from my own personal experience. I would never buy nor recomend Fleetwood to anyone!!!!

10. admin
    Posted May 20, 2009 at 4:31 pm | Permalink

    Shannon,
    Sorry to hear your not satisfied with your Fleetwood Motorhome. Like the product or not they are one of the largest employers in our area. Hopefully they can turn around financially and not only give our economy a boost but improve upon their product offerings at the same time.
    Admin

11. helen & darlene
    Posted June 18, 2009 at 10:53 am | Permalink

    my sister and I purchased a Southwind in December 2007 model 2008. It was made in California and in February 08 the plant shut down. We believe they just put together in a hurry as we have had nothing but problems. When repaired the company stated not installed properly. We have paper work to back this up. Is there anything we can do as our RV has been in repair more than we have traveled. We are still having problems. HELP

12. admin
    Posted June 18, 2009 at 5:20 pm | Permalink

    Helen, I would contact Fleetwood directly and see if there is anything they can do for you. I’m not sure what type of lemon laws your state has you might also check in to that as a possibility.

13. finance articles
    Posted July 6, 2009 at 7:46 am | Permalink

    Wow. I was told that the company hasn’t made an annual profit since April of 2000. Not good at all.

14. LordMagneto08
    Posted July 30, 2009 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    Helen and Darlene,

    The previous owner of both Fleetwood Bounder and Discovery motorhomes, each manufactured at different plants, I can reassure you, that your motorhome was put together in 2007/2008 in the same slip shoud manner as the rest of the Fleetwood motorhomes prior to and after that date.

    My family and I purchased both a new Bounder in 1995 which made it roughly 500 miles before things started falling off the walls (fastners overtorqued and lacking any further retention features), during that first 500-miles the battery location (cold weather) caused the battery to freeze and crack, the second thing at approximately 300-miles outside of St Louis, Missouri the gear shift level came off in my hand, continuing westward into Kansas the table behind the passenger side fell off the wall (contacted Fleetwood who was NO help and left us floundering, we then contacted a local Fleetwood dealer who stated he was booked up and since we hadn’t purchased the unit from him he couldn’t squeeze us in); the next thing to happen was the unit (coach) was too heavy for the braking system (Chevy Chassis) and the unit nearly broke lose in the mountains (I’m a professional long distance owner-operator and know how to drive in the mountains). Finally made it to Arizona where the generator quite running (broken wires and the generator was surging), made to the ALCAN and into Anchorage where the generator continued to surge and had Cummins service the generator (found metal shavings in the filter and had to replace the carburetor as the shavings came from the main chassis gas tank). Took the coach to the front end alignment place (was just going to service the unit before heading to Kodiak) found the frontend was irrepairable and wornout due to the weight of the coach onto a chassis that was NOT designed for it.

    Traded the 1996 Bounder for an 1996 Fleetwood Discovery Diesel Pusher, and moved the Kodiak Island Alaska. While in Kodiak found 26 pages of discrepancies where things didn’t work, were falling off the walls, misaligned, the right windshield kept coming loose from the frame; the electical system caused both T.V.s to go out and had to be replaced, the front entrance door was replaced due to improper fastening. An intermitent electrical problem prevented the entry step from retracting most of the time. Regarding the Freightliner chassis, the cruise control would occassionaly refuse to release the engine inspite of the recall fusable link being installed. The engine compartment was nearly impossible to access and perform repairs or preventative maintenance.

    The positive side: The fuel pump went out and the wrecker service in Northern Michigan/Wisconsin towed it improperly and caused in excess of $50K damage and the unit was totalled leaving us holding the bag to the tune of $18K in 2006.

    Am I going to shed a tear over Fleetwood’s bankruptcy? NO!