The Heartland North Country spans 2010–2016 with 11 recorded NHTSA recalls and a 4.5/5 ForCar reliability score. The years to approach with caution are 2011, 2016, 2015 (most owner complaints); the cleanest are 2010, 2012, 2013. It delivers competitive fuel economy and NHTSA-rated safety.
How we score: NHTSA crash-test safety (40%), recall frequency across all years (25%) and the share of owner complaints involving a crash, fire or injury (35%). Based on NHTSA & EPA data — not user reviews.
Overview
The Heartland North Country is one of the most popular vehicles in its class, produced from 2010 to 2016 across multiple generations.
How to read a Heartland North Country VIN — every digit explained
Every Heartland North Country carries a unique 17-character VIN stamped at the factory. Each position is a code — together they spell out where, when and how your car was built. Here's exactly what every digit means.
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a Heartland and the country it was built in (real Heartland codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled this North Country.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- —5SF
Digits 4–17 — the engine code (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard, identical on every car. For the full year-code table (2001–2026), country codes and where the VIN is stamped on your North Country, see the complete guide to reading a VIN.
How many recalls does the Heartland North Country have?
The Heartland North Country has 11 recorded NHTSA recalls across 2010–2016. Pick a year below to see its recalls — then verify open recalls against your specific VIN.
2011 Heartland North Country recalls 7
Equipment:other:labels
What's wrong. Heartland has notified nhtsa of a noncompliance on certain model year 2010-2011 trail runner and north country travel trailers for failing to comply with the requirements of part 567, "certification." the federal identification label does not contain the correct gross axle weight rating (gawr) information. The label states the gawr for each axle to be 5,200 lbs when the actual gawr is 5,080 lbs.
Risk. Towing a vehicle with the axles loaded beyond the specified weight rating may result in axle failure leading to poor vehicle handling and increasing the risk of a crash causing property damage or personal injury.
Fix. Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The recall began on may 14, 2010. Owners may contact heartland warranty/service department by email at [email protected], or by phone at 1-877-262-8032.
Wheels
What's wrong. Heartland is recalling certain model year 2011 travel trailers equipped with 15"x6" white spoke or modular design steel wheels with a six hole bolt pattern. Some of the wheels may have inadequate weld penetration between the outer ring and the center plate due to improper plate alignment.
Risk. There could be a potential wheel failure and wheel loss increasing the risk of a crash, or personal injury.
Fix. Heartland will replace the wheels free of charge. The safety recall began on december 15, 2010. Owners may contact heartland at 877-262-8032.
Equipment
What's wrong. Heartland is recalling certain model year 2011 north country travel trailers, manufactured from july 14, 2010, through september 14, 2010, equipped with atwood 35 series range ovens. A potential exists for a small fracture within the line delivering gas to the oven cavity burner. Such a fracture may cause propane gas to leak from the line.
Risk. A propane leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire and/or explosion causing property damage and/or personal injury.
Fix. Heartland is working with atwood and will replace or repair the stoves free of charge. The safety recall began on october 22, 2010. Owners may contact atwood at 1-574-266-4749 or heartland at 1-877-262-8032.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer:lpg Systems:furnace
What's wrong. Heartland is recalling certain model year 2011 north country 30bhs and 32bhdd travel trailers. The cord for hooking into an external electrical power supply has the potential to drape directly in front of the furnace exhaust.
Risk. This contact could cause damage to the power cord which could result in a fire.
Fix. The manufacturer is in the process of developing a remedy for this issue. The recall is expected to begin during august 2011. Owners may contact heartland at 1-877-262-8032.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer:lpg Systems
What's wrong. Heartland is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 north trail travel trailers. The suspension can come in contact with the lp pipe mounted on the frame under the trailer above the equalizer arm. Continued contact could cause a leak to develop.
Risk. This occurrence could have a potential for a fire which could result in serious bodily injury and/or property damage.
Fix. Dealers will correct the vehicles as necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on march 15, 2011. Owners may contact heartland at 1-877-262-8032.
Equipment:other:labels
What's wrong. Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (Heartland) is recalling certain trailers of various models and model years. Click on "All Products Associated With This Recall" for a complete list. The tire certification labels applied to the vehicles may contain inaccurate tire sizing and/or inflation information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Risk. An owner or operator could rely on the inaccurate information in inflating the tires which could cause under or over inflation which, in turn, could lead to a tire failure or crash.
Fix. Heartland will notify owners, and dealers will send a replacement label with the correct information, free of charge. The recall began on September 29, 2015. Owners may contact Heartland customer service at 1-574-266-3988.
Equipment
What's wrong. Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (Heartland) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Elkridge, North Country, North Trail FW, 2011 Big Country, Bighorn, Caliber, Country Ridge, Cyclone, Edge, Focus, Graystone, Landmark, MPG, North Trail TT, Road Warrior, Sundance, Sundance TT, Sundance XLT FW, Sundance XLT TT, Trail Runner, 2018 Fuel TT, 2016-2018 Sundance XLT TT, and Torque TT recreational vehicles, equipped with certain Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or excessive force may be needed to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
Risk. In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix. Heartland will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2018. Owners may contact Heartland customer service at 1-877-262-8032, or Kidde customer service toll free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information.
2010 Heartland North Country recalls 4
Equipment:other:labels
What's wrong. Heartland has notified nhtsa of a noncompliance on certain model year 2010-2011 trail runner and north country travel trailers for failing to comply with the requirements of part 567, "certification." the federal identification label does not contain the correct gross axle weight rating (gawr) information. The label states the gawr for each axle to be 5,200 lbs when the actual gawr is 5,080 lbs.
Risk. Towing a vehicle with the axles loaded beyond the specified weight rating may result in axle failure leading to poor vehicle handling and increasing the risk of a crash causing property damage or personal injury.
Fix. Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The recall began on may 14, 2010. Owners may contact heartland warranty/service department by email at [email protected], or by phone at 1-877-262-8032.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer:lpg Systems
What's wrong. Heartland is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 north trail travel trailers. The suspension can come in contact with the lp pipe mounted on the frame under the trailer above the equalizer arm. Continued contact could cause a leak to develop.
Risk. This occurrence could have a potential for a fire which could result in serious bodily injury and/or property damage.
Fix. Dealers will correct the vehicles as necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on march 15, 2011. Owners may contact heartland at 1-877-262-8032.
Equipment:other:labels
What's wrong. Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (Heartland) is recalling certain trailers of various models and model years. Click on "All Products Associated With This Recall" for a complete list. The tire certification labels applied to the vehicles may contain inaccurate tire sizing and/or inflation information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Risk. An owner or operator could rely on the inaccurate information in inflating the tires which could cause under or over inflation which, in turn, could lead to a tire failure or crash.
Fix. Heartland will notify owners, and dealers will send a replacement label with the correct information, free of charge. The recall began on September 29, 2015. Owners may contact Heartland customer service at 1-574-266-3988.
Equipment
What's wrong. Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (Heartland) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Elkridge, North Country, North Trail FW, 2011 Big Country, Bighorn, Caliber, Country Ridge, Cyclone, Edge, Focus, Graystone, Landmark, MPG, North Trail TT, Road Warrior, Sundance, Sundance TT, Sundance XLT FW, Sundance XLT TT, Trail Runner, 2018 Fuel TT, 2016-2018 Sundance XLT TT, and Torque TT recreational vehicles, equipped with certain Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or excessive force may be needed to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
Risk. In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix. Heartland will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2018. Owners may contact Heartland customer service at 1-877-262-8032, or Kidde customer service toll free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information.
Best and worst years for the Heartland North Country
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint volume across 7 tracked years, the worst years are 2011, 2016, 2015 and the best (fewest complaints) are 2010, 2012, 2013.
ForCar aggregate — our own analysis of complaint volume, not published by NHTSA.
| Year | Owner complaints | Top issue | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 North Country | — | Best | |
| 2011 North Country | Equipment | Avoid | |
| 2012 North Country | — | Best | |
| 2013 North Country | — | Best | |
| 2014 North Country | — | Average | |
| 2015 North Country | — | Avoid | |
| 2016 North Country | — | Avoid |
What are the most common Heartland North Country problems?
The most-reported Heartland North Country problems are Equipment (1 reports), Structure (1 reports) and Electrical System (1 reports) — out of 3 owner complaints NHTSA holds for the model. Here's how they break down:
Most-reported components — tap a category to read what owners actually experienced:
Equipment 1 Read
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 heartland north country. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 11v335000 (equipment:recreational vehicle:lpg furnace). The manufacturer was notified, but had not given permission to the dealer to perform the repairs. The dealer also stated that the manufacturer had yet to release the necessary parts to perform the recall repairs. The contact was in constant contact with the manufacturer, but the manufacturer was non responsive. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Structure 1 Read
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 north country trailer. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that the floors were uneven. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the frame was not welded properly. The dealer attempted to repair the frame, but they were not successful. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5.
Electrical System 1 Read
This issue is related to the north country 30 bhs by hearthland travel trailer. The 30 amp power cord comes out of the coach right above the furnace flue which gets very hot. While camping we had it plugged in and the furnace running. The flue melted the power cord all the way down to the wires in a very short amount of time. Just by chance we went outside to check something and noticed the problem. Called the manufacturer who indicated that 4 or 5 travel trailers left the factory this way and that it wasn't right. We unplugged the unit and did a temporary fix on the cord. We are currently attempting to work with heartland on a solution, but so far am not satisfied with the fixes being recommended. *tr
Source: NHTSA owner complaints, all model years. Bar = share of total complaints. Full reports searchable on NHTSA.gov.
Heartland North Country specifications & dimensions
The 2016 Heartland North Country. Full dimensions below — engine, horsepower and trim decode from your VIN. For the original factory build — MSRP, trim and standard equipment — rebuild the Heartland North Country window sticker.
| Specs cache warming… |
Source: NHTSA vPIC / Transport Canada vehicle specifications. Metric values converted to imperial; generation ranges approximate.
Heartland North Country cargo space, seating & interior room
How much the North Country holds — passengers and cargo. Seating, cargo and interior dimensions vary by trim and seat configuration — decode your VIN for the exact build.
Exact seating capacity, third-row availability, legroom and headroom decode from your VIN or vary by trim — the original factory equipment & options list shows what each trim included.
Passenger & cargo volume from EPA fueleconomy.gov (largest configuration). Seats, legroom and headroom from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
Heartland North Country tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What MPG does the Heartland North Country get?
MPG cache warming… reload in a moment.
What engines does the Heartland North Country have? Power & range
Powertrain data warming… reload in a moment.
How much does a Heartland North Country cost to own?
A Heartland North Country depreciates at about an average rate. A typical example keeps roughly 46% of its value after five years — losing about 54% to depreciation. Check what a used North Country is worth today or browse current used-market prices before you buy or sell. Fuel, maintenance and insurance add to the total cost to own.
| Age | Value retained | Est. resale value | Lost to depreciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 80% | $24,000 | −$6,000 |
| Year 2 | 70% | $21,000 | −$9,000 |
| Year 3 | 61% | $18,300 | −$11,700 |
| Year 4 | 53% | $15,900 | −$14,100 |
| Year 5 | 46% | $13,800 | −$16,200 |
What goes into the five-year cost to own:
- Depreciation — the biggest cost: this North Country loses about 54% of its value over five years. See the full depreciation curve by age.
- Fuel — based on EPA economy at roughly 15,000 miles a year.
- Maintenance & repairs — routine service, tires and wear items as the North Country ages.
- Insurance — varies by driver, state and trim; get a quote for your exact figure.
Resale & depreciation are ForCar estimates from typical segment value-retention curves — not a live market quote. Fuel from EPA fueleconomy.gov at ~15k mi/yr.
Is the Heartland North Country safe?
NHTSA crash-test ratings aren't published for the North Country yet — see the top-rated safest cars instead.
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How many miles does a Heartland North Country last?
A well-maintained Heartland North Country typically lasts 250,000–300,000+ miles. It's exceptionally durable — with routine maintenance many owners report 250k+ on the original powertrain. Its ForCar Reliability Score is 4.5/5.
Check your Heartland North Country’s VIN — history, recalls & specs
Title records, open recalls, build details and paint code — straight from the VIN. Free.
Check this North Country’s VIN free →All Heartland North Country model years
A year-by-year snapshot of the Heartland North Country — recalls, best EPA fuel economy and NHTSA safety. Tap a year for full details.
| Year | Recalls | Best MPG | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 North Country | 0 | — | — |
| 2015 North Country | 0 | — | — |
| 2014 North Country | 0 | — | — |
| 2013 North Country | 0 | — | — |
| 2012 North Country | 0 | — | — |
| 2011 North Country | 7 recalls | — | — |
| 2010 North Country | 4 recalls | — | — |
Recalls = NHTSA campaigns that year · MPG = best EPA combined · Safety = NHTSA overall stars (tested years).
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the North Country?
By owner-complaint volume, 2011, 2016, 2015 drew the most reports. 2010, 2012, 2013 have the cleanest records.
How many recalls does the North Country have?
11 recorded NHTSA recalls across 2010–2016. Always check open recalls by your VIN.
How many miles does a North Country last?
A well-maintained North Country typically reaches 200,000–300,000 miles with regular maintenance.
Is the North Country reliable?
Our ForCar Reliability Score for the North Country is 4.5/5, based on NHTSA safety, recall history and complaint severity.
What's the Heartland North Country warranty?
New Heartland models carry a 3 years / 36,000 miles basic (bumper-to-bumper) warranty and a 5 years / 60,000 miles powertrain warranty. Coverage can vary by model year and market — confirm with a Heartland dealer.
Where is the Heartland North Country made?
The assembly plant is encoded in the VIN — the 11th character. Decode your North Country's VIN above to see exactly where it was built; Heartland may build it at more than one plant depending on the year.
How much ground clearance does the North Country have?
Ground clearance varies by trim and drivetrain — AWD/4WD versions often sit higher. Decode your VIN or check the specific trim for the exact figure.