HOLIDAY RAMBLER Complaints

WINDSHIELD IS NOT TIGHTLY SECURED BY GASKET AT UPPER LEFT CORNER. ON A DAILY BASIS, WHEN OPERATING VEHICLE, THE WINDSHIELD/GASKET WORKS ITS WAY OUT. I MUST CONTINUALLY STOP AND PULL THE GASKET & WINDSHIELD BACK INTO PLACE. ON OCCASION, THE GASKET HAS COME LOOSE UP TO 12 INCHES ON THE VERTICAL AND 18 INCHES ON THE HORIZONTAL. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS THE WINDSHIELD COULD COME OUT COMPLETELY ENDANGERING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER. THE MANUFACTURE WAS CONTACTED SEVERAL TIMES AND INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM. NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKES LOCKED AND A FIRE STARTED. A NHTSA RECALL, # 02V278000 WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE REGARDING THE SERVICE BRAKES; FOUNDATION COMPONENTS HOWEVER, THE RECALL DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT OFFER A SECOND REPAIR WITHOUT CHARGE UNDER THE RECALL.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON THE FRONT AXLE THERE IS NO CENTER BOLT, ALLOWING THE FRONT AXLE AND SPRING TO SLIP FORWARD AND BACKWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT WAS UNWILLING TO ASSIST WITH THE PROBLEM. SECONDLY, THERE IS A SHIFTING OF THE DOOR BETWEEN THE BATHROOM AND THE KITCHEN, PREVENTING CLOSURE OF THE DOOR. THIS IS ACCOMPANIED BY A THUMPING NOISE IN THE FLOOR. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL# 02V237000. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

THE UNIT HAS BEEN FALLING APART SINCE WE PURCHASED IT. THE MAIN ISSUES ARE WITH THE COACH PORTION. BROKEN CABINETS, PLUMBING LEAKS, ELECTRICAL ISSUES, BUT THE COACH HAS A LIST WHICH GROWS WITH EVERY USE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BUILT A POOR PRODUCT AND THE DEALER HAS HAD LITTLE OR NO EFFECT IN CORRECTING THE ISSUES. IT TAKES MANY MONTHS OF WAITING FOR A PHONE CALL TO HEAR OF ORDERED PARTS OR BACK ORDERED PARTS ONLY TO FINALLY SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE. EACH TIME WE SPEAK WITH A COLTON RV REPRESENTATIVE, OUR SITUATION IS NEW TO THEM, BASICALLY, THEY KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT US. WHEN THEY HAVE HAD THE UNIT, ITEMS HAVE GONE UNREPAIRED EVEN THOUGH WE WERE ADVISED THAT THEY WERE REPAIRED AND EACH TIME, OUR VEHICLE HAS COME BACK WITH A NEW DAMAGED ITEM. WE CANNOT GET THEM TO TAKE OUR SERIOUS ISSUES WITH ANY COMMITMENT. *NM

REF: RECALL 02V278000 FRONT BRAKES OVERHEATED TO THE POINT OF SMOKING. CALIPERS WERE STICKING. PRIMARILY LT. FRONT. RT FRONT WAS OVERHEATED BUT NOT AS SEVERE. REARS OK. MONACO COACH CLAIMS RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED AND RECALL IS CLOSED ON THIS VEHICLE. PER DISCUSSION WITH MONACO COACH RECALL HOTLINE REP. THE RECALL WORK,DONE IN SEPT OF 2004 DID NOT INCLUDE REPLACEMENT OF THE CALIPERS. IN MAY OF 2005 EXTENSIVE REPAIR WORK WAS AGAIN DONE ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM (I HAVE A COPY OF THE RECEIPT) BUT AGAIN DID NOT INCLUDE CALIPER REPLACEMENT. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN AUGUST OF 2005. SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE I NOTED FRONT CALIPER OVERHEATING AND CONTACTED THE MONACO TECH LINE FOR INFO. THE OVERHEATING CONTINUED AND I HAD THE CALIPERS REPLACED BY A LOCAL SHOP IN PENSACOLA FLORIDA. THE BRAKE OVERHEATING HAS NOW BEEN ELIMINATED. VIRTUALLY EVERY SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM HAD BEEN REPLACED AND THE OVERHEATING PROBLEM CONTINUED UNTIL THE CALIPERS WERE REPLACED. I AM QUESTIONING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FIELD INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS TO RESOLVE THIS RECALL. "INSPECTION" OF THE CALIPERS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A GUARANTEED RESOLUTION. MY BRAKE OVERHEATING PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED UNTIL THE CALIPERS WERE REPLACED. I REPLACED THEM PRIOR TO ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS RECALL. IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MONACO TECHS. NO MENTION WAS MADE OF THE RECALL OR POTENTIAL CALIPER PROBLEMS. I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL IN A INTERNET SEARCH ON MY VEHICLES. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKED THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP SENT A TECHNICIAN WHO DETERMINED THAT THE TREAD SEPARATED. THE TIRE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP AND REPLACED. THEN WHILE PARKED AT A REST AREA, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE THREE REMAINING TIRES HAD TREAD SEPARATION. THOSE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE WENT FLAT AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BOTH HAD TREAD SEPARATION. THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL TIRE HAS BEEN USED EACH TIME. THE TIRE FAILURE CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE TRAVEL TRAILER, A 2003 HOLIDAY RAMBLER PRESIDENTIAL. *AK UPDATED 5/22/2006 - *NM

FAX FM (CA) RE THEIR DEFECTIVE MONACO TOW VEHICLE WHICH TORE AWAY FM THE FRAME OF THEIR VEHICLE. *TS THE TOW RECEIVER WAS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. *JB THE TOW RECEIVER WAS MOUNTED BY MONACO AND IT TORE AWAY ON BOTH SIDES. WHEN IT BROKE THE CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE AND STOPPED FINDING THE TOW ON THE GROUND. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. *NM

2000 HOLIDAY RAMBLER ENDEAVOR MICHELIN TIRE ALL BLEW OUT. *TS THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED EIGHT TIRE BLOW OUTS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. *JB

THE ALUMINUM RADIATOR INTERCOOLER FAILED ON MY MOTORHOME, CAUSING AN EXCHANGE OF ANTIFREEZE AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID. ETHYLENE GLYCOL ENTERED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DESTROYING CLUTCH PLATES AND SOLENOIDS, RESULTING IN A $5713 REPAIR BILL. THE SYMPTOMS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE WERE THE INTRODUCTION OF EXTREMELY HARD SHIFTING, BOTH UP AND DOWN, FORCING ME TO LEAVE THE FREEWAY. AT SLOW SPEEDS ON SURFACE STREETS, HOWEVER, THE DETERIORATION IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE VIOLENT SLAMMING SHIFTS, WHICH WERE STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL THE ENGINE WHEN SHIFTING DOWN TO FIRST GEAR. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE PASSING THROUGH KENT, WASHINGTON WHEN THIS OCCURRED WHERE PACIFIC POWER PRODUCTS, THE ALLISON TRANSMISSION DEALER, IS LOCATED. THIS IS A KNOW FAILURE AREA FOR MOTORHOMES MANUFACTURED UNDER THE MONACO NAME WITH CERTAIN ALUMINUM RADIATORS. BECAUSE MONACO WAS ABLE AVOID MAKING THIS A REGISTERED RECALL WITH THE NHTSA, THEY HAVE HIDDEN BEHIND THE PROTECTION OF TIME LIMITS ISSUED WITH TSB 124, NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10003083. INADEQUATE EFFORTS TO NOTIFY ALL POTENTIAL OWNERS IS MORE THAN APPARENT IN MY JUDGMENT. AS SUPPORT FOR MY CONTENTION, NEITHER THE PREVIOUS INDIVIDUAL WHO OWNED THE COACH WHEN THE TSB WAS ACTIVE, NOR I, KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BULLETIN, IN SPITE OF THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES POSSIBLE FOR FAILING TO COMPLY. AND THE DISINTEREST ON THE PART OF MONACO IS MOST EVIDENT CONSIDERING I WAS IN THE MONACO SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN HARRISBURG, OREGON FOR THREE DAYS FOR OTHER REPAIRS, ENDING ON FEBRUARY 16, WHEN I LEFT THE FACTORY TO HEAD HOME, BUT NEVER MADE IT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH A CRACKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE REAR END. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR INSPECTION. THE CONTACT IDENTIFIED A RIP IN THE FRAME WHERE THE TOW BAR WAS ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE THAT WAS BEING TOWED WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING DETACHED FROM THE MOTOR HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 3/28/2006 - THE TOW RECEIVER WAS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME BY MONACO AND IT TORE AWAY ON BOTH SIDES. *NM