COACHMEN Complaints

1. DRIVING I-85 AT 55 MPH. 2. TREAD STARTED TO SEPARATE (TREAD SEPARATION) AND PULLED OVER. 3. DROVE TO CLOSEST EXIT AND HAD CHANGED. *AK

1. TRAVELING ON I-77 TO CHARLOTTE, SC . TREAD SEPARATED AT AROUND 11:30 P.M. 3. REPLACED TIRE - MAILED DAMAGED TIRE TO FIRESTONE. *AK

WHEN THE CONSUMER MADE A TURN, THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND SECONDS LATER THE BRAKES LOCKED. AS A RESULT THE PARKING BRAKE AND THE ELECTRIC BRAKES FAILED. THE DEALER STATES THE BRAKES INADEQUATE FOR THE MOTOR HOME. THE CAUSE HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

WHILE DRIVING THE COMPLETE TREAD OF THE TIRE CAME OFF, LEAVING THE SIDEWALL INTACT AS WELL AS THE CORE OF THE TIRE. SPEED WAS APPROX 50 (OR SPEED LIMIT) AND ON A GOOD ROAD (HWY 95 SO OF JORDAN VALLEY. *AK

(REAR INSIDE DUAL) FIRESTONE STEELEX RADIAL R4SII , LT225/75/R16 TIRE EXPLODED ON COACHMEN 2000 MOTOR HOME AT 60 MPH AND 81 DEGREES F. TIRES HAD JUST BEEN CHECKED AND INFLATED TO 80 PSI 12 MILES PRIOR TO BLOW OUT. SOME DAMAGE DONE TO COACH AS TREAD SEPARATION OCCURRED. 15,700 MILES ON ODOMETER.*AK

UPON PULLING OUT OF THE CAMP GROUND AND WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE BRAKE FAILED TO STOP THE MOTOR HOME. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD TO BE ENGAGED TO STOP THE MOTOR HOME. DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE BRAKE SYSTEM. THE BRAKE LINES UNDER THE MOTOR HOME WERE RUSTED, AND HAD A PIN SIZE HOLE IN IT. THIS WAS NOT DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE MOTOR HOME WAS MOUNTED ON A FORD, E450 SUPER DUTY CHASSIS. *AK

WHILE SITTING IN A CAMP GROUND AND UPON EXITING THE TRAILER CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE DROP TANK WAS HANGING ON THE GROUND ALONG WITH TUBING, BOLTS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE RV COMPANY WASN'T RESPONSIBLE. ALSO, TOLD THAT THE 2005'S HAD STRAPS TO KEEP THIS FROM OCCURRING. *AK

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS (ON THE SAME TRIP) I EXPERIENCED TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AT 60 MPH DUE TO THE FRONT WHEELS OF MY MOTOR HOME HITTING STAGGERED BUMPS IN THE ROAD THAT SET OFF A HARMONIC VIBRATION. THE FRONT WHEELS WERE OSCILLATING FROM LOCK TO LOCK (I HEARD THEM HITTING THE STOPS) WITH NO INPUT FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. BRAKING EFFECT WAS ALSO SEVERELY REDUCED. I THOUGHT THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO COME APART - THE NOISE WAS THAT DRAMATIC! THE WHEELS CONTINUED TO OSCILLATE UNTIL THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO 20 MPH. FORTUNATELY THE ROAD WAS STRAIGHT OR I WOULD HAVE LEFT IT FOR SURE! I CALLED COACHMEN (MOTORHOME MANUFACTURER) WHO REFERRED ME TO FORD (THE UNIT HAS A FORD SD53 CHASSIS). FORD INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD NO REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THIS UNIT. BUT THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT 1999 WAS THE ONLY YEAR THAT THEY HAD NOT INSTALLED A STEERING STABILIZER. UP TO 1998 HAD ONE, 2000 AND LATER HAD ONE. THEY WERE NOT RECEPTIVE TO MY REQUEST THAT THEY RETROFIT MY UNIT WITH THIS ITEM AT THEIR EXPENSE AND DID NOT AGREE THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE! I VISITED MY LOCAL DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT A STABILIZER KIT WAS AVAILABLE FOR MY UNIT. I PAID FOR THE KIT WHICH THEY ORDERED. NEXT DAY I GOT A CALL FROM THE DEALER TO SAY THE KIT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE! TO THE DEALER'S CREDIT, THEY FOUND ONE AT ANOTHER DEALERSHIP THAT I WENT AND PICKED UP AND INSTALLED MYSELF. HAS IT SOLVED THE PROBLEM - NOT SURE AS I HATE TO DRIVE THE UNIT ANY MORE! LOSING CONTROL OF SEVEN TONS OF VEHICLE (PLUS A TRAILER) AT 60MPH ON A BUSY FREEWAY IS NOT SOMETHING I WISH TO REPEAT!*AK

LIVING ROOM SLIDER HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIRS TWICE. 1ST WAS 2/7/04 WHEN IT WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH ONLY 2572 MILES ON COACH, AND 2300 OF THOSE MILES WERE DELIVERY DISTINATION. 2ND WAS7/2/04, 5 MONTHS LATER WITH ONLY 3769 MILES ON COACH, THE SLIDE CAME OUT WHEN THE UNIT WAS SITTING AND THE PARK BRAKE WAS OFF, THEN IT CAME OUT WHEN THE COACH WAS SITTING WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE PARK BRAKE OFF.*AK

ON A TRIP TO THE SOUTHWEST, MY 1998 COACHMEN 30' TRAVEL TRAILER HAD 3 OUT OF 4 TIRES BLOW OUT. THEY HAD PLENTY OF TREAD, AND WERE INFLATED TO 50 PSI. SIZE IS STR 245-75R15. I BELIEVE THEY WERE ALL CARLISLE. THE FAILURES OCCURED OVER A 1-WEEK PERIOD.*AK