EDITOR’S NOTE: We received the information below from America’s best-known RV lemon law attorney, Ron Burdge, about two developments in the RV industry that threaten to weaken RV owners’ rights:
In California, RV companies are trying to drastically change the state laws that help RV owners before Sept. 30, and if it passes, the best state in which to buy an RV will become one of the worst states. Also:
Nationally, Thor’s 2025 RV warranties take a giant hammer to buyer protections. And quality continues to suffer across the board. More recalls were announced Sept. 23 than in a very, very long time, and now the industry tries to close both the front door and the back door to the right of RV buyers to force manufacturers to buy back bad RVs.
The details
In California: The governor has until Monday, Sept. 30, to either veto or sign a drastic change to Lemon Law rights of all vehicle owners that would drastically make it harder to win and harder to recover a full loss. The changes would affect all types of vehicles that are covered by California’s lemon law — Song-Beverly rights — cars, trucks, RVs, etc.
The Song-Beverly Act applies to any new product that is sold in the state of California for personal, family, or household purposes, including new cars, boats, RVs, manufactured homes, new or used devices that are designed to assist disabled individuals, and many other consumer products. It is most frequently applied in cases involving automotive defects.
Immediate action necessary
Advocates and consumers need to call or write the governor immediately. Call 916-445-2841, email https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact or mail Governor Gavin Newsom at 1021 O Street, Suite 9000, Sacramento, CA 95814.
The change in California law would take some of the worst warranty limitations manufacturers try to use against consumers and put them into the law.
Nationwide impact
Pulling out all the stops, Thor’s new 2025 model year warranties come with the worst warranty in the business, taking away consumer rights nationwide, with new roadblocks to stop owners from making Thor do anything for them that Thor doesn’t want to do.
The new Thor warranty requires complainers to email them and cooperate with a final repair attempt, and barring RV owners anywhere in the country from claiming a breach of warranty unless the same cause of the same defect failed to be fixed at least 3 times (not the same defect, the actual cause must be the same every time), or at least 150 days in the shop being worked on under warranty, and no repair done without an advance appointment counts as a warranty repair at all.
On top of that, Thor can call anything a “goodwill” repair — and that won’t count as a warranty repair at all either. And even then, no lawsuit can be filed without a final written letter of complaint (not an email) also being sent that contains specific info. If you miss any step in their new process Thor can just say “sorry about your luck” and you are stuck.
And even if you cross all your T’s and dot all of your I’s, and have a right to recover the lost value, Thor now requires a final letter from the consumer that explains exactly the RV owner’s “provable” math formula that must be “independently” verifiable, for the RV owner’s claimed loss — and if they don’t provide that to Thor then they can’t recover the damages at all! Thor appears to be trying to close the front door of the courthouse and at the same time close all the back doors to getting any justice at all, in my humble opinion.
Ron Burdge can be reached at RVlemonLaw.com.
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Wow! Please keep us updated on this! I’m in the process of a newer RV in about a Month!
Just one more good reason to avoid ALL Thor products, even top-of-the-line ones like Airstream and DRV (Mobile Suites).
“You will be sore if you buy a Thor”. Their arrogance even exceeds their greed, lack of honor and lack of integrity.
Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 Well, I didn’t plan to ever look at a Thor, let alone buy one. But, now, that avoidance is ironclad. No Thor … ever! Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Thor brands have been off my list for awhile. This really cements that.
We need to apply the same tactics that forced the automobile industry to improve quality. Foreign competition.
This sounds worse than fighting an insurance company.
Just don’t buy Thor Products.
It’s probable that all other RV manufacturers will follow Thor in changing their warranties.
The part on CA law sounds like a political campaign commercial. Vote for me or my opponent will pass this law that will make California the worst in America.
okay author can you please take a moment of your time to tell the reader why? Or what the problem is?
Well, that’s one brand struck off our shopping list!
I assume that since Cali had more consumer protections in place, the new Thor warranty language is already in place and applicable throughout most of the U.S. anyway. READ ALL DOCS BEFORE SIGNING!
Thor took a beating in Cali where a judge called them all but criminal…well he might have called them that as well…for violating a consumer’s Cali rights. So Thor probably stuck a “contribution” in legislators’ pockets to make sure that never happens again.
This is what happens when a company has 50% market share…FTC, RU Watching?!
Where is “Uncle” Warren Buffett? It’s his business (Berkshire Hathaway) making profits off the inferior rv’s. It probably would not cost much more to slow the production line and build something that satisfied all.
Considering the awful build quality issues of the last 4 years, this is an amazingly arrogant move by Thor. I guess that Thor will be counting on the ignorance of newbies to stay in business, because those of us who have already been in the poor QC rodeo will know better.
If folks Stop buying Thor products, from DRV Suites down to the least expensive unit they may take notice to all the scared and angry voices of past and present customers.
If all Thor product sales tank maybe they will hear the screams of customers.
How is Thor still in business? I sold my Tiffin last week, and guess I’m done now. Being Thor owns Tiffin, and Air Stream. Any word from Air Stream owners.
In other words, there is no warranty from Thor. Buy one from Good Sam instead.