Fiver Owner Fights Fight of Fractured Frame
So you think "reality TV" is really something? Imagine crawling under your trailer and finding your frame is cracked, twisted, and otherwise damaged beyond your imagination. This isn't the stuff of your nightmares, its an ongoing heartache for a fiver owner from Connecticut.
His story surfaced on an RV forum a few days ago, on May 10. Since outlining the problems he found on his six-year-old Cougar, the writer has discussed how much "help" he's received from both trailer maker, ('We could pay for a few hours of labor,') and the frame manufacturer ('Sorry, your warranty is only good for two years').
It's an ongoing story, as of last post, Keystone (the trailer manufacturer) was rumbling that perhaps they could do something to help the owner out--but that remains to be seen. Who knows, the public nature of internet forums may actually be having an effect. No RV maker really wants to be seen in a bad light, even if they really are convinced that they're not responsible for this kind of damage. Tune in for yourself by following this link to the forum thread.
His story surfaced on an RV forum a few days ago, on May 10. Since outlining the problems he found on his six-year-old Cougar, the writer has discussed how much "help" he's received from both trailer maker, ('We could pay for a few hours of labor,') and the frame manufacturer ('Sorry, your warranty is only good for two years').
It's an ongoing story, as of last post, Keystone (the trailer manufacturer) was rumbling that perhaps they could do something to help the owner out--but that remains to be seen. Who knows, the public nature of internet forums may actually be having an effect. No RV maker really wants to be seen in a bad light, even if they really are convinced that they're not responsible for this kind of damage. Tune in for yourself by following this link to the forum thread.
Labels: cougar, forums, frame damage
posted by Russ and Tiña De Maris at
2:55 PM
15 Comments:
Am having the same problem with Fleetwood concerning axles. The were hung out of true with inferior hangers causing the inferior hangar weld to fail causing the axle to drop. B&A Hitch and Axle in Bixby, OK, did the repair. They told me the axles were originally out of true and that they were hung with hangers not to spec for the weight axles. Furthermore, there should be 3 axles not just two on the 5ver. It is 40' long with 5 slides. They were amazed that Fleetwood expects only 2 axles to safely support this 5ver. The warranty company covered part of the costs but I still had to pay over $2000 out of pocket. Fleetwood told me that their warranty is for only one year and couldn't help me.
By
Anonymous, at 6:57 AM
I'm sorry, guys, but when you buy a cheap unit, you should not be surprised that it is cheaply designed and cheaply built. I know Fleetwood has a reputation for producing inferior products. They brag that they can role out a completed unit in as little as five days. Some quality manufacturers spend that much time on the paint job.
Before spending your hard-earned cash for any purchase of the magnitude of a new RV, I strongly advise you to get the best independent information as possible. A membership in the RV Consumer Group is an excellent investment. It might savr you both money and heartache.
By
Allen, at 11:28 AM
I'd never buy a Keystone or Fleetwood product after posts like this that seem to continually report manufacturing defects and they don't stand behind their apparent failures. Winnebago seems to have a much better reputation.
By
Chris, at 4:28 PM
You can repair this structural defect with carbon fiber and epoxy. A biaxial carbon fiber material combined with an epoxy can be applied over the stress crack area, and be made stronger than the original.
By
Anonymous, at 6:36 PM
The nightmare continues with quality control and RVs. What's it going to take before they put out a product that is safe , sound, and reliable? We need foreign intervention from the Japanese or Germans etc. The RV industry is where GM and Ford were 25 years ago, high on the hog. Now they are fighting for their lives! Take a lesson guys.
By
Don, at 5:53 AM
The nightmare continues with quality control and RVs. What's it going to take before they put out a product that is safe , sound, and reliable? We need foreign intervention from the Japanese or Germans etc. The RV industry is where GM and Ford were 25 years ago, high on the hog. Now they are fighting for their lives! Take a lesson guys.
By
Don, at 5:54 AM
The greatest disappointment with the motorhome I am driving and living in is the shoddy workmanship and nails where there should be screws and things falling apart when they shouldn't. Mine is a Gulfstream and greater quality than most, but could be so much more for just a little better design and quality materials. I hate to even look underneath!
Lucia
By
Anonymous, at 5:37 AM
I'm not a fan of Keystones but the OP has responded adn resolved the issue completely for the OP and he is fully saitifed with Keystones ultimate handling of the situation. Read the OP forum thread for details. It's great to see a fellow RVer get taken care of by a major manufacturer appropriately.
By
Anonymous, at 5:49 PM
In April of 2005 I purchased a new Safari Trek (Monaco). I had always felt that Monaco was a more high end product than some other makes. In the first 14 months of ownership it spent 7 months in repair. Monaco has refused to extend the original warranty as I have requested. I am now operating on the extended warranty which I purchased. At the present time the unit is AGAIN at the Harrisburg, Oregon repair facility for more work and I am back home, 400 miles away yearning for the time when some day, before the extended warranty is out, that I will actually have a motor home that I can trust.
Needless to say I am currently not much of a fan of Monaco!
By
Richard Barker, at 8:35 PM
We had frame weld and tearing problems with 2000 Keystone Montana. There is a recall that was issued on frame welds of their units with an upgrade kit. Even though our unit was supposedly repaired with the upgrade kit, the welds still did not hold. When they tore a second time (on the freeway around St. Louis) we sent very graphic photos of the tearing to Keystone, and they paid for the second repair which included reinforcing bars as well. You might try Googling around and see if you can find the recall on Keystones, if this would apply.
By
sue, at 7:31 AM
We bought a 2002 Forest River 5th wheel that had the same problem. The frame looked just like yours in 2 places. It actually broke just as we were parking after a long trip. It was only 6 months old. The company repaired the frame & gave us new tires. It was quite a battle at first but when they thought we may get a lawyer, they got with it. Good luck.
By
Anonymous, at 1:49 PM
We have not had frame problems, but had ongoing problems with tires/wheels on a 2001 Forest River product. It was not for 4-5 years when we contacted CEO and threatened legal action that they finally stepped up and made the necessary corrections. Having cosmetic items that don't hold up is one thing, but safety issues are different. Apparently these companies haven't been sued often enough to make it worth their while to do it right the first time.
By
Anonymous, at 11:39 AM
We have a 2005 Challenger fiver (by Keystone) that so far, seems solid & we've enjoyed it a lot. The problem we have is with powder-post beetles that were in the dining table. They're only active a couple times a year, so it took us just over a year to identify the cause of the little piles of "sawdust". When I first sent emails & called Challenger I got no response. I later got a customer service rep who promised to check with higher ups, but the unit was just over a year old & the warranty was out. Aside from that, the table was made by a vendor, so Challenger denied all responsibility. Their suggestion was to take the table out of the RV, which I had already done. Other than that, Challenger has given no follow-up or made any offer to help with this situation. They basically just didn't even want to talk about it.
You would think the RV manufacturers would care just a little more for their customers, at least in hopes of getting repeat business.
And yes, Allen, this is not a "high-end" unit, but not all of us can afford the high-dollar rigs. Even these units aren't cheap & should have a better base of cusomer service.
By
Anonymous, at 6:32 PM
How many of you have put a salesperson on the spot when looking at a new RV on the lot that was shipped, and is being shown with obvious defects, by asking how a manufacturer and dealer could display inferior workmanship? The typical attitude seems to be, "all that will get addressed by our detail shop." My question is, "why wasn't it addressed by them prior to being displayed?" The answer is not enough potential buyers walk away right then, telling the dealer that we wouldn't buy an automobile or a house in this condition, why should we consider this purchase. When enough potential buyers do this, the word back to the manufacturer's from the dealers will clean up this practice, which seems to be accepted by the RV buying community.
By
Anonymous, at 11:54 PM
Our Fleetwood built Terry 34 ft. broke the front frame completely in half...we have sent graphic photos, the manufacturer has acknowledged receipt, however, because we are the second owner...I doubt if they will do anything...we have just begun our battle...poor metal is the cause of the break and because we are very meticulous about walk arounds we noticed it before getting back on the highway saving us from a serious accident. It is a '99 Terry with 3 slides - 34 ft..in immacultate condition, but...frame issues
By
Anonymous, at 7:27 PM
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