2008 FLEETWOOD AMERICAN TRADITION Complaints

WE ARE OWNERS OF A 2008 AMERICAN TRADITION 42F MOTORHOME. SINCE PURCHASING THIS MOTORHOME THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH THE FRONT END AND THE WEAR OF THE TIRES. THE FRONT END HAS BEEN ALIGNED TWICE IN 6800 MILES. THE FRONT END HAS BEEN WEIGHED BY COLTON TRUCK REPAIR. THE CERTIFIED WEIGHT IS 14740. PER MANUFACTURER THE RECOMMENDED IS GVWR 14600 MAXIMUM WEIGHT. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF AMERICAN COACH AND SPARTAN CHASSIS. AS OF THIS TIME, SPARTAN CHASSIS HAS PAID FOR THE WEIGHING OF THE COACH BUT WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE OVERWEIGHT OF THE FRONT END OR THE TIRE WEAR. THEY PASS IT ON TO AMERICAN COACH BECAUSE THE AMERICAN COACH STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS REQUESTED THIS SIZE OF FRONT END TO MANUFACTURE THIS MOTORHOME. AS OF THE 2010 AMERICAN COACH, THEY WENT TO A LARGER TIRE AND CHANGED THE FRONT END FOR MORE GVW TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. BUT THEY WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PRIOR YEARS COACHES WITH THE FRONT END THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE WEIGHT. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION SINCE PURCHASING THIS 2008 MOTORHOME TO BOTH AMERICAN COACH AND SPARTAN TO NO AVAIL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FLEETWOOD AMERICAN TRADITION RV. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT END OF THE RV WAS OVERWEIGHT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RV'S FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLY WAS BUILT INSUFFICIENTLY, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO EXCEED THE 14,600 WEIGHT CAPACITY. AN ENGINEER STATED THAT ROUGHLY A DOZEN OF THE VEHICLES WITH FLOORPLANS OF 42C AND 42F WERE AFFECTED BY THE DEFECT. IN ADDITION, THE FRONT CHASSIS IS OVEREXTENDED, WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH IF THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE COLLAPSES. AS OF MARCH 12, 2009, A REMEDY HAS NOT BEEN APPLIED TO RESOLVE THE SAFETY HAZARD; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE NOT APPLICABLE.