I want to provide a quick update on the RV engine situation and ask the Internet for some advice from those of you who may have been down this, or a similar road before. Consider this my Phone a Friend.

Our 2018 Coachmen Orion, built on a Ford Transit 350HD chassis, suffered what appears to be a catastrophic engine failure while we were traveling across country this summer. The engine has only about 48,000 miles on it, has been fully maintained and not modified or abused in any way, but because the vehicle is 8 years old, it is outside the time portion of Ford’s 60-month/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

The RV has now been thoroughly inspected by Beach Ford here in Virginia Beach. I want to publicly thank them for the way they’ve handled this. Beach Ford and especially my service advisor Catie, have been professional, communicative, and have even found several thousand dollars in discounts to help reduce the repair cost. Unfortunately, while very much appreciated, those savings only make a small dent in what remains a very significant repair bill.

I’ve also opened a case with Ford Customer Care and am waiting for their decision on whether they are willing to offer any goodwill assistance and participate financially in the repair. I absolutely appreciate Beach Ford making a huge effort, but shouldn’t Ford Motor Company be stepping up here?

I’ve reached out to a well-respected,trusted, independent, and certified repair shop for a third opinion and have their quotation. It is still significant money, but more managelable.

Still, before making a financial decision of this size, I want to gather as much information as possible.

What would you do?

How Outraged should I be for an engine to die at 48,000 miles?

Should I just suck it up as the cost of having fancy toys and be grateful?

I know it doesn’t work this way in real life, but shouldn’t Ford be embarrassed to have a commerical engine that they put in ambulances and police cars blow up at 48,000 miles? Or does this happen all the time?

If you’ve experienced a catastrophic engine failure outside of warranty, but at relatively low mileage, I’d love to hear your story.

Did the manufacturer offer any goodwill assistance?

Did you simply wait for a decision, or did you keep pushing?

Did you decide it was time to involve an attorney or a consumer advocate? At what point?

Did you repair it, replace the engine, or move on from the vehicle altogether?

Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?

I’m not looking to start a pile-on against Ford, I legitimately love this truck. I’m not interested in speculation or rumors. If Ford steps up and helps, I’ll be the first to say so. If they don’t, I’ll share that honestly as well.

For now, I’m simply trying to make the best decision I can with the information I have.

If you’ve been through something similar, we’d truly appreciate your advice. Sometimes the most valuable thing the internet can offer isn’t outrage…it’s experience.

I’ll continue to share updates as this story unfolds. Hopefully, the next one brings a little more clarity.

Tomorrow the adventure continues.