2019 Coachmen Chaparral reviews

We tow it w a 2015 Duramax 2500 series Chevy truck. Tltz package. Automatic. Double cab, 4:door. Also going to sell. Tows like a dream, full power over hills. We replaced the cheap king mattress with high quality queen mattress to give better sleeping and more access to walk around the bed. Has lovely fireplace. Show less

We bought this RV in July 2020, it is our second 5th wheel. We had actually researched and looked at several 5th wheels years before buying (we wanted to know exactly what we wanted before actually ready to buy.) We had settled on a Coachmen Chaparral front living. Our previous 5th wheel was a front living lay out and er loved it. We started having some issues with our first 5th wheel and decided we better get a new one before something catastrophic happened. So we went from planning to take our time to look around for the best deal, to needing to make a purchase quickly. We are full-time RVers so the 5th wheel is our home. Since we were looking during the pandemic, there was not much available on the lots. No Chaparral front livings within 500 miles of us (we were in Nebraska at the time). Found the 381RD in Iowa. The one we looked at was a 2020 and after some discussion the salesperson said she had a new 2019 model at there MN location that was new, exactly same furniture and layout as 2020 or were looking at and $2700 cheaper. I liked saving the money and also felt that maybe a camper not built during the pandemic would be better workmanship. So we bought and have loved it so far! We have been from Iowa to Arizona with it with several stops in between. Two minor issues, the sprayer did not work on kitchen faucet. Called factory and they sent a whole new faucet. Also small leak somewhere on fresh water tank that I have scheduled to go into dealership in July before warranty runs out, so we will see how that goes. We love the room that this unit provides, and although we really like front living layout, we have come to enjoy the rear living concept. So no regrets so far! Show less

We researched and looked at a lot of RVs before purchasing this one. We downsized from a motor home to this RV. My boyfriend is very tall and it's roomy enough for him to not have to duck everywhere (even the shower!) Lots of storage space, full size fridge, and I think the sofa bed is even more comfortable than the master suite bed. We've used this for camping, living in while going to trap shoots around the country, and I lived/worked in it for 10 weeks down South to be nearby when my daughter had a baby. Easy hookups, easy to tow, set up and ready for transport. Really appreciate the auto leveler, too. The only thing we had to replace was the kitchen faucet in the island - it was a bit flimsy and broke early on. Other than that, no issues at all. We love it! Show less

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY PURCHASING A COACHMEN OR FOREST RIVER PRODUCT. IT WILL BE IN THE SHOP MORE THAN YOU CAN USE IT. AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. WE PURCHASED NEW TO HAVE A WARRANTY, BUT LET ME TELL YOU IT IS NOT WORTH IT. THEY WILL LIE LIELIE AND TELL YOU THEY ARE SENDING ITEMS AND NEVER DO. THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST COMPANY TO DEAL WITH. We purchased a BRAND NEW 2019 CoachmenChaparral391QSMB on January 26, 2020, from our local RV dealer, Northgate RV in Ringgold, Georgia. Since the first week of purchase, we have taken it back for repairs seven times. This doesn't include the current issues that still need to be addressed. The following is a list of repairs already made: Master bedroom AC did not cool,Sliding door over the washer,insert panels were constructed poorly with nails that stick out and scratched the finished wood every time it passes,On our first camping trip,our 1st stove caught fire while cooking due to the front burner pipe coming apart and it melted the gasket and wires,We had sewage leaking due to a faulty closing door on the black tank,The radio was faulty and the knob fell off,We had a bent bracket on the main slide in the living area,The freestanding residential refrigerator was not properly installed and fell forward into the counter during transit causing damage to refrigerator doors (they added a bracket but the fridge is still dented),The main slide in the living room had a severe bow in the roof due to a bad seal and bad decking resulting in water damage inside our cabinets.They had to replace the roof and decking on this slide,The kitchen faucet is a terrible design and the button gets stuck every time you bump it and it sprays you. (the second one still does the same thing,We had water leaking around shower and kitchen sink (water poured into our cabinet under our sink because the caulking was missing) neither the factory nor the dealership caught that it was missing caulking. We recently just had our third stove installed because the first one caught fire on our first trip. Then the second had a propane leak. This occurred on 4/25/20 and was reported to the dealership of 4/27/20. The stove did not arrive until 9/10. We have not had a working stove since April and were only able to use it a few days. The C02 censors malfunctioned and did not detect the leak. Our bunkroom would fill up with the smell of propane. We could even smell it back in our master bedroom. We were staying at a park and they had a water leak, so we needed to use our water pump and fill our fresh water tank. We found out that it didn’t work. We just had it replaced 9/1 and it still doesn’t work. The valves are wrong and just sucks air. The wall paneling over the couch will not stay attached to the cabinet and falls during transport. EVERYTIME. Warranty said they would send a new piece of paneling but it never came.The shower is pulling away from the wall in the bathroom. Warranty said they were sending a new shower surround too, but they didn’t.But it is still not fixed.The bunk wardrobe doors were not properly installed, it was missing screws in the hinges (holes were not even drilled for them) resulting in it falling during transit denting the floor. Water pipes in the basement were not properly sealed and leaked causing water in the basement. Our black and grey tank sensors do not work and haven’t since the first trip they consistently read 3/4 full. When my husband did his 6-month check on seals and caulking, he noticed the decking on top of our mid-bunk was soft, and when it was replaced by the dealership, we were told it was completely rotted. Why on earth would the decking be rotted on 2 slides????? On a new camper? We have rotted wood in our outdoor kitchen. The dealership replaced the ceiling piece but not the bottom piece. We were later told it was because of the type of seal that is used on this style of camper and water pools at the screw and goes in underneath the seal, every time it rains. The back window leaked water in. We made contact with Christy Turner, CSM at Coachman, and she was very kind and helpful at our 1st conversation. She was going to overnight us the parts and have a mobile unit fix it. it took 5 months to get the parts and they still didn't send all of them.We still had to take it to a shop without all the parts. I have been more than kind and allowed time for a solution from a business that says they care about customer satisfaction. WE ARE NOT SATISFIED. These are not all normal "breaking in a new camper" problems you expect to encounter. This is a DEFECTIVE camper, a lemon, and we do not feel safe in it or that we have been taken seriously. There are too many issues to overlook, especially when we are always finding new problems. This has become a safety issue. With all the water damage in the slide deckings, how do we know it didn’t make it down in the walls? Do not waste your time or money on this terrible product. Show less

I have owned my Coachmen Chaperral 381RD for a little over 10 months now. I have taken it across the country to California for work. When I made it to CA i went over the rig to make sure there wasn’t any issues, and have found about five issues. I called coachmen and they said find a dealer near you get it down there and we will get these issues resolved. I found a amazing dealer and told them the issues he said bring it down will get pictures of it and send them in to get approved so after everything was approved i took it back down to get it fixed, i told them i was staying in it full time and he said no problem we will it done right away. He called me the day after, since one of the issues was the back wall had a leak, he said he would like to keep it over the weekend let it dry out before replacing the wood and sealing it back up. Turned out the window didn’t have a good seal. Other issues were the inverter for the residential frig would not switch to shore power, the control bored for the LP side of the hot water heater did not work, some trim on the outside of the slide out pulled away, a small water leak on the drain of the shower, and the furnace not staying on which the last two i fixed myself because they couldn’t wait. Other then that I’ve had some trim come off, and the pantry shelf sag from to much weight which was a easy fix. Now the good things about the 381RD is it has a very residential feel with a large living room, a large kitchen with plenty of countertop space and a massive pantry, the bathroom is a good size with plenty of room in the shower, the bedroom has a good bit of room with washer/dryers prep and it did come with a king size bed that i removed and cut down the plywood to fit a queen, definitely made a big difference for room to walk around the bed. Also the two coaches in the living room fold out into beds allowing about six people to sleep comfortably. This rig does come with four barstools that do look nice but they do fall apart. I love the coachmen product would like to see a better PDI but I would purchase another one. Show less

We traded our 2011 rockwood for a chaparral Coachman light. And it was the worst mistake we made. It has been in the shop more than what we have used it. I’ve had it only three months and now the air conditioner in the back burned out. And other cosmetic things have been happened. Water leaks in the bathroom sick and shower. I would NOT recommend this kind of trailer. I should have stayed with my old trailer. It was better made than the bran new one. Smdh Show less

We purchased our 2019 chaparral 298RL in April, we have taken it out on 5 trips do far. We have had no troubles so far. We are towing it with a F-250, it tows smoothly, much nicer then our travel trailer did. We purchased it to spend this winter in Florida. We love the way it is laid out inside too. We would recommend this camper. Show less

My husband and I had to purchase a unit because of a leased home that was filled with toxic mold that started shutting my organs down. My husband is a Veteran and is now working in Iraq for the Embassy. We purchased in Dec. 2018 and have had nothing but problems. We have never owned or even been in a 5th wheel and it was a hurry up and find a place within 48 hours. It was bad enough what we were going thru but to sell us a lemon unit that they did not stand by is horrific. It had a propane leak inside the unit and was pushing propane directly into the bedroom. The lights outside didn't work and the belly of the unit was leaking water. I sent a video to the dealer and Forest River and while I was in the hospital for treatments I pd 500.00 to have the unit returned and fixed. They jerryrigged the belly and they didn't even fix what was wrong. Now the unit has an electrical short and so Forest river sent one of their techs out and he said "take this unit back to the dealer, it dangerous". They didnt like that so wanted to send another. NO FOREST RIVER!!!! you don't get to play with my life. I'm disgusted by Chaparral, Coachman and Forest River. How can they sleep at night with how they treat customers. DO NOT BY FROM THESE PEOPLE. They sell a cheap product and dont stand behind it. Shame on you!!!!!!! Show less

I traded in my travel trailer and upgraded to a 5th wheel since I got a new truck & purchased my 2019 Coachmen Chaparral 298RLS. I thought that I would really enjoy this model because of its compact layout that I could find- non bunk house- under 38ft in length. My first impression was it's awesome! However, after taking it out on my VERY FIRST camping trip last night, I had my slide out fail. It went out of alignment and had leaked water all inside of my unit. Now I have to go all the way back to my dealership to take in to MAYBE be covered under warranty work. If Coachmen didn't cheap out and used Schwintek slide out gears I was told I would have never had this issue! Now I'm noticing that the sealant around the windows has not been inspected and might leak as well. There are SEVERAL screws missing from the frame. I didn't do enough research about coachmen before hand and since I've encountered these issues, I see that it's apparent I should have listened to my neighbor who told me to only buy a Jayco.... I made an impulsive decision and now it looks like I'm going to be paying the price for it... I highly suggest taking a look at these other owners that also bought new and had similar coachmen issues. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/coachmen_rv.html?#sort=helpful&filter=none Show less