Auto-Trail motorhome problems: what owners report

What Auto-Trail owners report, brand-wide

Damp behind the driver's seat and along the offside wall

The most repeated Auto-Trail report is damp low down on the offside wall, under the table or behind the driver's seat. In a MotorhomeFun thread started 20 November 2019 an owner wrote that at the first service of a year-old van there was "40% damp found just behind driver's seat", later clarifying "Damp is in the wallboard at floor level." One reply: "it's NOT an unusual place, especially on an Autotrail. My 700 had problems in that area over several years." Another listed three usual causes: a leaking front window, a poor join between floor and wall, and a failed vertical seal between the cab and the conversion.

A 2015 Savannah owner on Motorhome Facts (19 July 2021) found "30-40 % damp readings in the wallboards behind the drivers seat under the bed"; the repairing dealer suspected damaged sealant at the Fiat cab to habitation join. A 2007 Mohican owner (MotorhomeFun, 5 May 2023) described "damp along the offside" and window cut-outs that "were slightly too small".

Rear locker and garage doors

Reports on the Frontier-range lockers go back a decade. A 2010 Savannah owner (MotorhomeFun, 18 June 2014) had "high moisture readings at the bottom of the garage doors"; a 59-plate Savannah owner replied that "there is no rubber seal around the door". An Apache 700 owner (1 April 2014) found damp "in both locker box doors" at two years old, and a 2011-built owner had already had "a new rear locker door and both rear locker door seals". An Out and About Live thread of 27 March 2014 asked Frontier owners to check the wooden frames of their rear locker doors for dampness, with a drip channel over the door mentioned as one factory rectification.

Rooflights, flues and roof channels

An Out and About Live thread of 8 January 2015 (van bought July 2012) reported rear beds "soaked again" and a Heki rooflight repaired by the dealer four times; when it was removed "you could see a small area where no sealant had been put in the first build." In an Apache 600 SE damp-floor thread (MotorhomeFun, May 2018) an experienced owner warned that "there are channels within the roof area where water could run and show in areas a long way from where any leak starts", and that the gas fire flue seal "become brittle over time and crack to let in water". Another owner in the same thread traced water to the water heater flue, which "was not sealed properly".

Window seals

A Cheyenne 630LB owner (Out and About Live, 21 November 2012) had a habitation window leaking "through the top of the frame seal"; a 2008 Cheyenne owner replied that the factory redid two window seals at service. A 2014 Imala owner (MotorhomeFun, 1 February 2021) said leaking windows caused damp "resulting in having to have a large section of internal wall replaced". On the Scout (MotorhomeFun, 17 December 2016) an owner had "water ingress around the window seal" and "Was told this was a common problem".

Repeat damp at annual habitation checks

Several owners describe damp returning year after year. A 2012 Tracker "failed the hab. check in its third year due to damp and was repaired. Fourth year failed again" (MotorhomeFun, 12 January 2018). A Delaware bought new in November 2014 "failed it first habitation check with over 90% damp in back garage". A 2007 Cheyenne and a 2009 Apache "Both developed serious damp problems within 12 months". A 2012 Scout had "Major damp found every annual check" and went back to the factory for three months (5 May 2023); another owner (28 May 2026) recalled "a brand new AT Scout that leaked every year for 5 years". A 2010 and a 2015 Comanche "Both had greater than 70% damp in rear garage, roof and driver sidewall" (7 May 2021). Against that, a Hi-line owner from new in 2019 wrote on 31 May 2026 that the van had "Been clear on the annual hab checks except first year with a spot below rear near side window", fixed under warranty.

Sargent control panels and the EM40 / EM55 power units

A 2015 Scout owner (MotorhomeFun, 5 April 2019) had the small Sargent EC500 panel over the habitation door "switching itself off, with all electrics disabled"; one owner later traced the same symptom to a solar controller pushing the system to 14.9 volts. An Expedition 67 owner (9 April 2023) had the EC167 panel crash to "only two rows of squares" and fixed it with the shutdown button on the power supply unit. On Trustpilot, the owner of a 2020 F60 (14 October 2024) received a recall letter about the EM55 unit under the passenger seat, was then told the van was not affected, and two months later "smoke starts coming from the fuse box under the passenger seat"; another owner (22 February 2024) reported EM40 fridge-supply connections that had "burnt and melted". DVSA recall R/2024/298, launched 6 August 2024, covers the EM40 and EM55 connector across F-Line, Frontier, Tracker, Grand Frontier and Apache vans (table below).

Snagging and build quality on newer vans

A thread titled "New van, quality control?" (MotorhomeFun, 1 December 2021) opened with a three-month-old V-Line and "iffy design, faults and quality control issues"; a V-Line 610 Sport owner replied "quality control is non-existent". A 2019 Imala 734 owner listed a habitation door that locked him out, failed cupboard latches, a dead reversing camera and a skylight that "snapped in my hand" (1 February 2021 and 5 May 2023). On Trustpilot a new Grand Frontier 80 (2 September 2025) came with a faulty tracker, an unwired handbrake warning light, a heating boiler replaced, washer and sink waste pipes running uphill and a leaking water tank; a one-year-old F70 (9 July 2024) had "84% damp all along back end"; a four-year-old Apache (22 May 2024) had "Screws falling out of the MDF panels". Two V-Line reviews (2021 and 2022) describe poor spade terminals and bare conductors, and a rooflight "that leaked because it hadn't been installed properly".

By model

Expedition 67 (with the Expedition 66 and 68 campervans)

The Expedition is Auto-Trail's panel-van conversion. Reports found: the Sargent EC167 control panel crash above (April 2023, fixed by the PSU shutdown button); a two-star Trustpilot review of a 2025 Expedition 67 (3 October 2025) citing a cooker and grill fault on delivery day, a water heater fault within a month, a blind that moves while travelling and a hot tap that can burn; an Expedition 66 bought new in 2021 whose owner wrote (12 April 2024) that the "roofline is a damp mess" after the skylight over the bed and then the toilet skylight leaked; and a 2023 Expedition 66 (4 November 2024) with cab trim and bathroom trim coming away and a warped cupboard door. A 2021 Expedition 67 brake squeal thread (Motorhome Facts, 15 November 2022) is a base-vehicle matter, not a conversion fault. The Expedition is not named in any DVSA Auto-Trail recall row.

F-Line F60

A two-week-old F60 whose drop-down bed "has only worked once since purchase" (MotorhomeFun, 22 May 2024). A 21-plate F60 review on Trustpilot (12 March 2024) listed a drop-down bed that does not work, a bumper that fell off while driving after a plastic connector failed, a sticking bathroom door and pull-out bed screws and runners that failed. A 2020 F60 is the EM55 recall-then-smoke report above. One owner (1 May 2025) said a warranty repair took ten months. Practical Motorhome's used buyer guide (28 February 2023) notes that "A yearly inspection and written report by an approved engineer is required to maintain the water ingress warranty" and flags low payload on longer models ("F70: approximately 137kg" with four adults aboard). DVSA recall R/2024/298 lists 829 F-Line vans built 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2022.

Apache 634

A brand-new Apache 634 owner (Out and About Live, 27 July 2017) found "rainwater pouring down over the habitation door" whenever the door was opened on a slight nose-down slope; suggested fixes were parking with a slight rearward tilt or fitting a small drip gutter above the door. In a buyer thread of 28 May 2026 a former Apache 700 owner said he had heard the 634 had "little or no payload, and majjor damp issues" (hearsay, not his own van). Practical Motorhome's 2011 review of a 2007 Apache 634U SE noted "a couple of build quality issues", no spare wheel and a 455 kg payload at 3,500 kg. We saw search snippets claiming specific garage-corner damp percentages on 2016 to 2018 Apache 634s but could not open the threads, so they are not repeated here.

Apache 700

The Apache 700 has the longest damp record we found. A two-year-old van had "DAMP IN BOTH LOCKER BOX DOORS" at its habitation check after ten dealer visits (MotorhomeFun, 1 April 2014); a 2012 owner in the same thread had already sent the van back to the factory twice, and later wrote (1 February 2021) that in seven years "it had ingress issues for 6years and several trips back to the factory". A 2012 model on Motorhome Facts (8 February 2013) had damp around the Heki and offside wall, a melted light fitting from heat above the cooker, peeling veneer and a failed toilet fan. Practical Motorhome's 2019 review criticised worktop space and dated Truma heating rather than faults. DVSA rows naming APACHE: 2006 warm-air housing, 2016 TV bracket, 2020 fresh-water tank bracket, 2022 solar panel bond and 2024 EM40/EM55 (619 vans built August 2017 to August 2020).

Tracker (EKS and later Trackers)

A 2007 Tracker EKS owner (MotorhomeFun, 15 January 2009) had an electric step that "won't retract either with ignition or on manual"; another EKS owner in the thread had "no troubles at all". A 2013 Tracker FB was found to have major damp "in both side walls just behind the cab" at its first habitation service (Out and About Live, 29 November 2013). The 2012 Tracker that failed years three and four is above. Practical Motorhome's used guide to the Tracker (27 July 2021) advises looking for "the written results of a body integrity test", checking the weight plate because Auto-Trail offered a free upgrade to 3,650 kg, and lists "Short(wish) single beds in early EKS" as a dislike. DVSA rows naming TRACKER: 2016, 2020, 2022 and 2024 (706 vans built August 2017 to August 2022).

Savannah and the rest of the Frontier range

Savannah: the 2010 and 59-plate rear locker door reports (2014), the 2015 van with damp behind the driver's seat (2021), and a 2012 Savannah owner who checked and found "no damp found or at least less than 20%" (28 March 2014). Cheyenne: window seals (2012), "serious damp problems within 12 months" on a 2007 (2018), and a 2008 Cheyenne 840D bought new with "leaking windows (5), broken Heki mechanism (twice), habitation door lock (3 times)...floor delamination, body cracks" (7 May 2021). Comanche: the two vans over 70% damp (2021). Scout: window seal, yearly ingress, factory returns (2016 to 2026). Delaware: over 90% in the garage at the first check (2014). Dakota and Chieftain: nothing we could open, so nothing is claimed.

Tribute

A 2019 Tribute T726 owner (Trustpilot, 14 September 2021) had part of the overcab bed fail, which he put down to "poor design and manufacture". No Tribute damp report was found in a page we could open. DVSA rows naming TRIBUTE: 2009 loose cab carpet and 2011 exterior ladder rivet (both 2007 to 2008 builds, 512 vans for the ladder), 2020 tank bracket, 2020 fridge installation and 2022 solar panel.

Imala and V-Line

Imala: the 2014 leaking windows and wall replacement, and the 2019 Imala 734 snagging list, both above. V-Line: the 2021 quality-control thread, the 635 Sport rooflight, the wiring review and a V-Line 540 with an intermittent sink supply and a dead water heater (28 May 2025). DVSA rows: Imala 2016, 2020 and 2022; V-Line 2016 TV bracket and 2020 fridge installation.

Auto-Trail recalls on the DVSA register

DVSA's recall service lists AUTO-TRAIL as a make, with models including Apache, F Line, Frontier, Imala, Tracker, Tribute and V-Line (Expedition, Savannah and Scout are not separate entries). We downloaded the full recalls file on 15 September 2026: 44 rows for the make, in 11 campaigns. None concerns water ingress, windows or body seals.

The 2024 remedy asks keepers to contact the supplying dealer or any NCC approved workshop for a replacement unit and, until then, to keep the fridge off while driving. Recall status is not part of our £4.99 report: check it free on the DVSA service by make and model.

What Auto-Trail says: warranty and servicing

Auto-Trail's warranty terms (auto-trail.co.uk, read 15 September 2026) give a Body Integrity Warranty against water ingress of "5 years from the date of first registration" and a conversion warranty of "24 months following the date of first registration". Both depend on an "Annual Habitation Service within +/- 30 days of each anniversary"; "Original VAT invoices, check sheets and damp reports must be retained as proof", and repairs "should be carried out within 6 weeks" of a fault being identified. Water ingress through a component a dealer has fitted incorrectly is excluded. The Auto-Trail site has no recall, safety notice or service bulletin page; its help centre answers three questions about factory visits and lead times. The owners' club (atocuk.com) is a rally club with no technical section.

MOT pass rates: why this page does not give one

Other sites quote pass rates for converter brands. We checked the DVSA anonymised MOT open data documentation on 15 September 2026: the make and model fields are taken from the DVSA vehicle dataset, there is no converter field and no make lookup table, and the guide does not say whether a coachbuilt motorhome appears under the converter or the base vehicle. Until that is settled, any Auto-Trail pass rate is a guess, so we leave it out. What you can check for a specific vehicle is its own MOT history and mileage record, free, by registration: see how to check a motorhome MOT history and which MOT class a motorhome sits in.

Before you buy an Auto-Trail: checklist

1. Ask for every annual habitation report with damp readings, not just the latest. Auto-Trail's own warranty requires them to be kept, so a seller who cannot produce them has a gap to explain.
2. Meter the offside wall at floor level under the table and behind the driver's seat, the vertical cab-to-body seal, and the bottom of every rear locker and garage door frame.
3. Open the Heki and any rooflights and look for staining on the ceiling boards; check the gas fire flue and water heater flue seals on the roof.
4. Look at the internal window surrounds for tide marks; on a Cheyenne, Scout, Imala or Mohican ask whether windows have been resealed.
5. On a 2017 to 2022 F-Line, Frontier, Tracker, Grand Frontier or Apache, ask for proof the EM40/EM55 recall (R/2024/298) has been done, or check the DVSA service.
6. Test the drop-down or overcab bed through its full travel and check the ladder and runners.
7. Weigh it or read the plate: several models sit close to 3,500 kg with little payload, and a plate upgrade changes the licence you need. See can I drive this motorhome on my licence.
8. Run the £4.99 history check on the registration before paying a deposit: finance and write-off records do not show up on a walk-round.

Check the vehicle's own record

Whatever the brand, the paperwork side is the same: the vehicle is UK-registered, so a motorhome history check (£4.99) shows stolen, finance, write-off, mileage, plate and keeper records from Experian AutoCheck, DVLA and DVSA. It does not inspect the habitation body, and touring caravans are not covered (they have no registration). More on what the check shows and does not in the motorhome and caravan FAQ.