BBC Watchdog: Swift Panoramic Roof Flaws

[Suzukikettle]

Swift on BBC Watchdog regarding faults with the panoramic roofs flying off while driving

 

[kingspeed]

Helmholz Resonance apart (and I'm thinking about that), I have long worried about the roof panels and planned to do something about it. Boosted into action by the number of people saying "me too" after the programme. There is a clear design fault in that there are two drainage channels under the valance which, when driving, channel air up under the valance and the panoramic window clearly creating a lifting force. Added to that, my panoramic roof panel has never fitted perfectly, even after the dealer did work on it after I complained. Air can clearly get under the front edge corners and lift the sides of the window. So I have created wind deflectors to direct the flow of air up over the valance and the window. I have also fixed the valance down at the edges with mastic. It definitely takes the edge off the look of the smooth lines, but I feel safer and the panoramic roof panel no longer vibrates. It didn't cost much either. Two offcuts of a gutter down pipe and two offcuts of aluminium sheet.

Hello,

I did consider fitting some kind of air deflector to my motor home roof just above the windscreen to divert the rush of air up the "vents" to the left and right of the black panel below the sky roof, but I will wait to see where this goes with the DVSA, as I am hoping that someone will take a closer look at Swift saying nothing is wrong.

Just a note for us all to consider. It seems pretty much a fact that someone in The Swift Group will be reading all our topics on all our pages.
So if you are reading this Swift, have the common decency to own up to your mistake, and at least have the guts to say something.

Regards,

Trevor.

 

[HKF]

Hello,

I have not heard of any other manufacturer having this issue that Swift have.

I would not be in a position to say you will not have an issue, but I would ask if you could let us know how many "lock down" points you have on each sky window.
The ones on the Swift sky view window have two. One to the left side, and one to the right side.

Regards,

Trevor.

Hi

Mine also have two lock down points as you mention; one to the left and one to the right. They also have a wind down mechanism on each, towards the rear of the MH. I don't have a picture of the locking points at the moment but they're like the ones on the windows, that rotate and click into place. I can get a picture of them, if you like.

 

[kingspeed]

Hi,

The ones on the Swift do not have a wind down on them.
The winding mechanism is electric, or at lest it is on mine.
Weirdly the motor is only just capable of getting it right to the top with a lot of help from me. It is just not man enough.
Other than that I don't have any more knowledge on your van.
By all means send a picture, and I will post one myself.

Regards,

Trevor.

Hi

Mine also have two lock down points as you mention; one to the left and one to the right. They also have a wind down mechanism on each, towards the rear of the MH. I don't have a picture of the locking points at the moment but they're like the ones on the windows, that rotate and click into place. I can get a picture of them, if you like.

 

[jerryz]

I cant understand that with the years and years of terrible reputation Swift has with faults, poor quality and lack of customer service ,, where do they find idiots silly enough to buy their crap products ????? are people that gullible or dont people do research ???

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[Paul Wilkins]

Bailey Autograph have also suffered this problem with the roof panels detaching from the cab at speed. It's a cr*p idea. I can see a market for supplying fibreglass replacements that are bonded to the roof.

 

[HKF]

Hi,

The ones on the Swift do not have a wind down on them.
The winding mechanism is electric, or at lest it is on mine.
Weirdly the motor is only just capable of getting it right to the top with a lot of help from me. It is just not man enough.
Other than that I don't have any more knowledge on your van.
By all means send a picture, and I will post one myself.

Regards,

Trevor.

Our winders are manual. A bit of a pain because, although I'm tall, I still have to stand on the front seats to do the front one and one foot on each of the bench seats to do the rear one. A strange set up but it does make the MH really light, with lots of high head room.

Here are some pictures of the ones I have;

 

[Ducatian]

Hi,

The ones on the Swift do not have a wind down on them.
The winding mechanism is electric, or at lest it is on mine.
Weirdly the motor is only just capable of getting it right to the top with a lot of help from me. It is just not man enough.
Other than that I don't have any more knowledge on your van.
By all means send a picture, and I will post one myself.

Regards,

Trevor.

My Swift Bessacarr 597 is a manual wind down mechanism. Handle in center of roof just behind the window.

 

[HKF]

My Swift Bessacarr 597 is a manual wind down mechanism. Handle in center of roof just behing the window.

Do yours look like mine, in the post above?

 

[Ducatian]

Do yours look like mine, in the post above?

Similar in concept, but my side latches are very different.

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[bobpaul]

Yip, I was one of the unfortunate ones to have this happen. Swift are doing everything they can to not own up to there being a fault with them. I wonder what the next course of action will be?

TA Steve

 

[bobpaul]

yup, same happened to us last June '23 whilst driving on French Autoroute near Geneva, 30 seconds of vibration, shattered and flew off. I'm a steady eddy driver, aprox 50 mph, we were going downhill, all windows shut, and roof correctly secured. Fortunately we had CMC red pennant insurance who directed me to a local garage who did a temporary scotch tape repair, which held all summer. Didnt know it was an issue so claimed on insurance as a glass repair and eventually repaired in October (waiting for part) We have a 19' plate Swift Bessacarr purchased Sept 22 from a reputable dealer with 8k miles at the time, this was our first long trip arround France. I now won't open the roof for fear of it happening again.
We like our van, and whether it had a pan roof or not was incidental to our purchase, but had we have known at the time of this issue we may have steered clear!
NB at no time did the supplying dealer, repairer, or insurance company suggest that this was 'a thing' it's only as 'funster' that I have realised that it is.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Slightly off-topic but it is relevant to the DVSA attitude towards what you might think ought to be mandatory safety recalls, like the Swift panoramic roof failures.

I don't undertand why the DVSA is refusing to make Honda (UK) carry out an official Recall for at least 3 models of hybrid and EV cars built between 2019 and 2021 and sold in the UK. Since about November 2023, a significant number of UK owners of CRV, Mk4 Jazz, and Honda-e cars are experiencing sudden brake servo failures that cause the hybrid braking system as well as antilock and other safety systems to shut down, making the cars not driveable. Many owners have complained about this failure that tends to occur soon after the manufacturer's 3 year warranty expires. The cost of repair alone is about £2k and the wait for the replacement spare part can be a long one. This problem features on all the Honda owner forums, including FB and Club Jazz, and other public blogs e.g. Honest John. The Club Jazz thread alone has had over 3.6 million views so far.

There is an official Recall for this Honda brake problem in Japan and China. About 525,000 Honda cars are potentially affected. But no Recall in the UK. Honda Japan's Recall web page admits the problem is "due to an inappropriate process" during the manufacture of this component, yet Honda (UK)'s position is that there isn't a manufacturing defect.

This brake failure issue and a complaint by an owner identified as "AW" was featured in an article in the Daily Telegraph of 1st June 2024 headed WHY IS HONDA BRAKE FAILURE SUBJECT TO A RECALL IN JAPAN BUT NOT HERE? by Alex Robbins. The slightly different online article dated 3 June is here:

Ask the Expert: Why is our Honda’s brake system failure subject to a recall in Japan – but not here?

As The Telegraph’s motoring expert, I weigh in on your car dilemmas to save you money and make your driving life easier

www.telegraph.co.uk

I did buy the print version for 1 June because I am one of those owners in dispute with Honda (UK).

Both DVSA and Honda (UK) are playing down this brake failure issue and sidestepping the calls for a Recall. I am not surprised that a similar lack of concern about the safety implications seems to affect the the Swift panoramic roof failures.

 

[Rozzer]

I bought a 774 Kontiki new end of 2022 having sold our Adria 670 XLPlatinum. No comparison in build quality. I had a ( sometimes serious) problem every trip including the too low water dump valves being torn off on an insignificant hump as mentioned earlier by another funster. Apart from very poor build, very poor design, including bumper level slide out draws with runners directly behind rear wheels with no protection, seized after first trip. Fitted protective screens to these, told Swift, no response of course. Push in tube fitting under sink not fitted correctly and detached, flooding van on trip to Scotland. Corner bracket on drop down bed fell off. Design of lower “bunk bed” in lounge - ludicrous, hand-over guy at Brownhills very reluctant to demonstrate… “ there’s a video on- line”, about 10 cushion and other pieces to arrange in an intricate pattern. Hand-over guy took about 10-15 minutes to get it right. Kitchen sink cabinet with just one draw flew open one trip, corner post detached at top, two tiny screws on top of pillar had fallen off, fitted a steel bracket. Interior panels hanging off where screws had missed the thin cheap wooden frames glued behind. I could go on… but suffice to say I won’t be darkening their doorstep again.
Just as the Japs stole the British motorcycle market years ago the Germans and other European manufacturers will take this industry, deservedly so, but how sad in a country with some of the best engineers in the world.

 

[Sandancers]

Just as the Japs stole the British motorcycle market years ago the Germans and other European manufacturers will take this industry, deservedly so, but how sad in a country with some of the best engineers in the world.

But get overruled by accountants !

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[kingspeed]

They are different to the ones on my Bessacarr. I hate to say this but ours look a bit stronger.
However yours may well be fitted better than the ones one the Swifts.

Our winders are manual. A bit of a pain because, although I'm tall, I still have to stand on the front seats to do the front one and one foot on each of the bench seats to do the rear one. A strange set up but it does make the MH really light, with lots of high head room.

Here are some pictures of the ones I have;



View attachment 946471

View attachment 946472

View attachment 946473

View attachment 946474

 

[mitzimad]

yup, same happened to us last June '23 whilst driving on French Autoroute near Geneva, 30 seconds of vibration, shattered and flew off. I'm a steady eddy driver, aprox 50 mph, we were going downhill, all windows shut, and roof correctly secured. Fortunately we had CMC red pennant insurance who directed me to a local garage who did a temporary scotch tape repair, which held all summer. Didnt know it was an issue so claimed on insurance as a glass repair and eventually repaired in October (waiting for part) We have a 19' plate Swift Bessacarr purchased Sept 22 from a reputable dealer with 8k miles at the time, this was our first long trip arround France. I now won't open the roof for fear of it happening again.
We like our van, and whether it had a pan roof or not was incidental to our purchase, but had we have known at the time of this issue we may have steered clear!
NB at no time did the supplying dealer, repairer, or insurance company suggest that this was 'a thing' it's only as 'funster' that I have realised that it is.

Maybe you need to inform swift its one one in that they will have to deny

 

[biggles1968]

Swift on BBC Watchdog regarding faults with the panoramic roofs flying off while driving

On the 30/12/24 I was driving in my Bessacarr 596 which has only 6500 miles on it when the roof came off, it was 12 at night , today being the 6/1/25 I spoke to swift they have said it is owner fault stating that at sometime in the past the window has been left open and driven as I pointed out the mileage but this accounts for nothing nor the 69000 pounds spent on there product . I then asked if there was a sign on the window saying don’t us whilst driving the answer was it’s in the hand book I asked again but to no avails like other I feel let down by this brand and I will seek other routes to sort this

 

[biggles1968]

On this does anyone know of any bodies of people taking this further

 

[Rick@62]

Wow, so pleased I have just seen and read this thread. I have a 2019 Swift Compact C205 that, next week, is going back to the dealer who sold it to me to have just this issue rectified whilst still under warranty.

This roof had been driving me nuts, rattling and vibrating, even on very smooth, new road surfaces, and, once you had noticed it, you couldnt unhear it! I tried wedging bits of rolled up kitchen roll around the seal areas where I thought it was loose but to no avail so I took it back to them just before Christmas, told them of the problem and said, "I will drive, then you can stand in between the two front seats and check the pano roof / sky light and see where it is loose and rattling and vibrating"

"No need" said the tech fella. He got in, pushed, pulled and prodded around the seals and interior bodywork and said he could see the issue. The chap said that it would need a whole new fitting, surround etc. No mention of whether this was a known issue.

When I drop it back to them I will ask about this issue and see what they say.

Thanks for the heads up.

Rick

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[TinaLes]

On the 30/12/24 I was driving in my Bessacarr 596 which has only 6500 miles on it when the roof came off, it was 12 at night , today being the 6/1/25 I spoke to swift they have said it is owner fault stating that at sometime in the past the window has been left open and driven as I pointed out the mileage but this accounts for nothing nor the 69000 pounds spent on there product . I then asked if there was a sign on the window saying don’t us whilst driving the answer was it’s in the hand book I asked again but to no avails like other I feel let down by this brand and I will seek other routes to sort this

Wow, so pleased I have just seen and read this thread. I have a 2019 Swift Compact C205 that, next week, is going back to the dealer who sold it to me to have just this issue rectified whilst still under warranty.

This roof had been driving me nuts, rattling and vibrating, even on very smooth, new road surfaces, and, once you had noticed it, you couldnt unhear it! I tried wedging bits of rolled up kitchen roll around the seal areas where I thought it was loose but to no avail so I took it back to them just before Christmas, told them of the problem and said, "I will drive, then you can stand in between the two front seats and check the pano roof / sky light and see where it is loose and rattling and vibrating"

"No need" said the tech fella. He got in, pushed, pulled and prodded around the seals and interior bodywork and said he could see the issue. The chap said that it would need a whole new fitting, surround etc. No mention of whether this was a known issue.

When I drop it back to them I will ask about this issue and see what they say.

Thanks for the heads up.

Rick

Hi Guys
Way back in 2017 I ordered a brand new Swift Bolero 714ntwin bed with engine & gearbox upgrades to 180 PS & Comfortmatic arround £68K with NEC show discount of 4K via a Somerset Dealership.
I was given a June 2017 delivery date, traded our nearly new Swift Luxury Caravan, plus £4K deposit in against the price to give a decent deposit.
I was a member of The Swift Talk Forum at the time, and just like Fun I was given some good advice being a new comer on all things Swift.
Swifts order book was full and they were struggling to keep pace with new van orders, many of the larger Kon Tikki & Bolero Vans were getting months behind of their promised delivery dates, we had our delivery date moved on from June to August with no sign of it by the start of September.
Meanwhile I was reading on Swift Talk about common flaws to many of the new vans being delivered and discovered by the new owners after a full PDI check. I cannot remember all of them now but they ranged from under sink waste pipes not being glued or secured properly, to upper cupboard doors warping, to external side trims flying off at motorway speeds held on by mastic only and incorrect length screws, outer locker doors warping and locks not securing them properly letting water ingress, but the worst of the worst was that the new at the time front opening valence that was a crucial part of the look of the vans being Black Plastic was also reported to be rattling at any speed over 40MPH. Customers reported that side winds made it worse, some on hearing it pulled in thinking the sound was from the engine bay!
Swift took its time to respond to this problem thinking the dealerships would fix it, but the dealerships refused to do it for the amount of dosh they were offered, plus it appeared that the window itself needed additional fixings and seals to make it more secure.
On reading about these complaints by too many new customers, I asked Swift directly on The Forum, if they could assure me that by the time they got round to building my new order van, which by now was months late, that they could guarantee to me that these common reoccurring issues will have been dealt with in a professional way, and not rely on after sale dealer attempted repairs.
Swift did not respond to my question, within a couple of weeks there were well over 100 Swift Talk loyal members enraged by the lack of response by Swifts management team. They the forum members were telling Swift & Me that I should cancel my order, and asking Swift how they could possibly expect me to pay 68K of hard earned on an inferior, flawed design product without giving me and others the assurance that those listed issues would be fixed before delivery.
Still nothing, no response whatsoever from the Swift Team!
I gave them 10 working days to contact me directly, or my dealership in writing, to confirm that the common issues raised by myself & other forum members would be fully addressed by the time they built my New Bolero?
You guessed it....Nothing in response by Swift Management.
I felt at the time I had no other course of action but to cancel my order with Swift via my dealership, which was sad as the vans layout, and upgrades suited us to a tee, being more or less the same as the newish caravan we traded in for it.
We ended up with an entirely different layout from a well known German company with most things being extra option packs, plus a lot more money, just for build quality peace of mind.
So the moral of this story is Swift have known about the front valence issues for many years, their eventual fix offered to those who suffered was to send "Engineers" out to the customers homes to fit additional double sided foam tape for better sealing against winds at speed, and fit a few more securing screws to the entire front opening valence to stop it blowing off completely....I didnt think that was good enough at the time, and I have been proved wright over time.
I feel for all suffering with this known problem, and Shame on Swift for not addressing a known fault with a complete redesign of the fixings locations and more HD securing frame.
Plus a clear marked sign on the window winder...Warning do not drive this van unless the valence is fully secured.
LES

 

[Moto GBR]

Would there be any way of making these issues public so that anyone who is thinking of buying a Swift product is aware of the horrendous customer service or lack of it!

 

[bigtwin]

Would there be any way of making these issues public so that anyone who is thinking of buying a Swift product is aware of the horrendous customer service or lack of it!

Swift Owners Facebook Group?

Ian

 

[rosalan]

I think you have made the point MOTO GBR.
I would love to buy British but the quality builders do not build the van layout we want and most seem to build down to a price, with expected results.
Looking at new Swift vans for sale, should I have been surprised to see body trim over the driver, hanging off?
I do like the layouts on Swifts but the economising lets them down. Sorry Swift owners.

Swift Owners Facebook Group?

Ian

 

[WallaceandGromit]

Our winders are manual. A bit of a pain because, although I'm tall, I still have to stand on the front seats to do the front one and one foot on each of the bench seats to do the rear one. A strange set up but it does make the MH really light, with lots of high head room.

Here are some pictures of the ones I have;



View attachment 946471

View attachment 946472

View attachment 946473

View attachment 946474

Same as on my 2009 autocruise Gleneagle always been wary of it but so far so good

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[DT]

Memories eh!. My bought from new Swift Conqueror had new sunroof fitted, front locker constantly wet which the dealer told me was normal and the kitchen waste pipe issue. With the sink issue as you pull the slider in and out it eventually pulls the pipe away from the sink outlet dumping your water inside the van. 15p clip and problem sorted but Swift don’t care. So like many others my next purchase was a German Burstner. Now to be fair our Burstner was not without problems but so far never had trim falling off on a journey.

 

[Steve I]

I know but sometimes they don't, our Globecars' windows were quite good but I've seen many a PVC version with much smaller windows when there wasn't a need, as well as quite a few coachbuilts. There was a new MH recently, can't remember what it was but it was talked about on here, with a very 'trendy' interior no doubt to entice younger MHers but it didn't have a window on the UK offside at all from what I can recall.

As a happy Chausson owner I had a cursory look at there new “narrower body” but still coachbuilt models (not PVC) and saw that the one I was viewing had nothing on the O/S apart from the fridge vent due to the layout. It’s just how it’s designed to maximise the reduced living space of this new size trend although does look a tad odd at first view. Easily missed due to the black body transfers though

 

[drmartinwhite]

But a roof light can be left open a bit when it's raining and also let's out hot air, without them it would be very uncomfortable in hot weather. I have to admit though that the size of windows, or total lack of them, in some MHs/PVCs makes them very dismal.

I agree, we first rented a Chausson (not dissing Chassons per se, I am sure they have other designs) to see if we liked the idea of Motorhoming. It had very little light from windows, roof light, very depressing. Hired a panel van as well, better with the light but preferred the space of the Motorhome.

Went for a Hymer BMCT 600 Whiteline 2021 Mercedes based in the end, had it 3 years now and love it. The light from all the windows, roof light and panoramic roof light at the front is lovely. Remis blinds and silver screen black it out when sleeping no problem.

Must admit though I am super paranoid in making sure all roof lights are secure when travelling, and we rarely ever open the front panoramic roof light. Must remember to observe the panoramic is securely clamped down when wife is driving to see if it buffets, I don’t believe so.

 

[The Wino]

I agree, we first rented a Chausson (not dissing Chassons per se, I am sure they have other designs) to see if we liked the idea of Motorhoming. It had very little light from windows, roof light, very depressing. Hired a panel van as well, better with the light but preferred the space of the Motorhome.

Went for a Hymer BMCT 600 Whiteline 2021 Mercedes based in the end, had it 3 years now and love it. The light from all the windows, roof light and panoramic roof light at the front is lovely. Remis blinds and silver screen black it out when sleeping no problem.

Must admit though I am super paranoid in making sure all roof lights are secure when travelling, and we rarely ever open the front panoramic roof light. Must remember to observe the panoramic is securely clamped down when wife is driving to see if it buffets, I don’t believe so.

Our first chausson was quite dark inside but our more recent one a lot better largely because it had the over cab rooflight. I was very careful to take note of the sticker saying not the fully close the blind in bright sunlight I suspect it could get very hot in it's own little greenhouse.

 

[jerryz]

Same thing with Triumph Motorcycles ,,, The Bonneville 900 and 1200 have a lot of gearbox problems , and recurring years of production Triumph have done nothing to rectify the common faults ,,, Thousands of owners have flagged up the issues which cost about £3000 for a main dealer fix but Triumph have denied the issue exists.. Also Triumph tells buyer on their website they are made in UK when all are made in Thailand ,, thats low .

KTM with their camshaft issue which has actually brought them to their knees and imminent bankruptcy , yet the denied the problem for 7 years ...

UK DVSA issue less recalls than many other EU countries or USA or Japan and ANZAC .

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[Moto GBR]

Reading between the lines in seems like DVSA are getting some kind of back hander, as the amount of serious issues involved and for them to back Swift up is nothing less than insulting!!!