KEYSTONE Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KEYSTONE OUTBACK BEING HAULED BY A 2007 NISSAN TITAN. THE CONTACT NOTICED A STRONG ODOR OF CHEMICALS AND A BURNING ODOR INSIDE THE TRAILER. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE COVER AND OBSERVED FLAMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE REFRIGERATOR. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE TRAVEL TRAILER WAS PARKED WITH AN EXCESS OF STRONG TOXIC FUMES FROM THE REFRIGERATOR DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V325000 (EQUIPMENT) AND WAS TO CHECK WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE IF THEY MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A REMEDY. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT APPLICABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KEYSTONE MONTANA EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR MARATHON TIRES, SIZE: ST235/80/R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 4,000.

MY '14 MONTANA HAD A DEFECTIVE DOMETIC 9100 AWNING. RECALL #13E-019 DATED 4-19-2013. THE RECALL WAS DONE BY KEYSTONE. NOW THE MOTOR HAS FAILED AGAIN AND THE AWNING WILL NOT ROLL UP, MAKING THE USE OR MOVEMENT OF THE RV IMPOSSIBLE. A RV SERVICE PERSON SAID THE MOTOR WAS BAD, I CALLED DOMETIC AND ASKED FOR HELP, THEY REFUSED ANY HELP. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THE RECALL WAS SUPPOSED TO CORRECT. I HAVE ORDERED A NEW MOTOR AT MY EXPENSE AND WILL HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE IT INSTALLED WHEN I RECEIVE IT. THE MOTOR PART NUMBER HAS BEEN CHANGED 4 TIMES, THE LAST CHANGE WAS 4-2016. I WAS TOLD BY DOMETIC THAT THE PART NUMBER CHANGE WAS BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN THE MOTOR SUPPLIER. THE CURRENT MOTOR PART NUMBER IS 3310423.209B.

WHILE DRIVING WITH OUR FIFTH WHEEL ATTACHED TO OUR TRUCK IN COLORADO ON OUR WAY TO MONTANA, WE HAD TO AVOID A MASSIVE SNOW STORM IN WYOMING THAT CLOSED I-25 AT THE COLORADO BORDER. WE DROVE EAST ON I-76 AND THEN CUT NORTH ONTO MAJOR US HIGHWAYS TO RAPID CITY, SD. DURING THAT TRIP, WE ENCOUNTERED UNUSUAL, SUSTAINED PERIODS OF HIGH WINDS WITH GUSTS AT 50 MPH PER THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. UNKNOWN TO US AT SOME POINT DURING THAT DRIVE, PART OF OUR ROOF RIPPED OFF. WE DO NOT KNOW IF THE LOSS OF PART OF OUR ROOF CAUSED ANY SAFETY ISSUES OR HAZARDS TO OTHER MOTORISTS. THE ATTACHMENTS TELL THE WHOLE STORY REGARDING THE ROOF ISSUE. START WITH THE EMAIL TO KEYSTONE AND SEE THE COMBINED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THAT WERE ATTACHED TO THAT EMAIL REGARDING WORK DONE AT THE PURCHASING RV DEALERSHIP UNDER WARRANTY IN OCT 2014 WHICH DID NOT FIX THE ROOF LEAK, EMAILS I SENT TO FAMILY THAT MENTIONED THE CONTINUED ISSUE AND THEN THE INVOICE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ROOF IN MAY 2016. I'VE ALSO ATTACHED THE DENIAL FROM KEYSTONE OF OUR WARRANTY CLAIM AS WELL AS THE DENIAL OF OUR INSURANCE CLAIM FROM PROGRESSIVE. APPARENTLY, ROOF ISSUES ARE WELL DOCUMENTED ON KEYSTONE PRODUCTS; HOWEVER, THEY ARE DENYING BEING NOTIFIED IN 2014 THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ROOF LEAKING, WHICH IS THE REASON FOR DENYING OUR CLAIM.

WHILE PULLING MY 2013 5TH WHEEL KEYSTONE RAPTOR ON I-95 IN VIRGINIA, I HAD THE RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPLODE. THE TIRE WAS A GOODYEAR 235/80/16 MARATHON TIRE THAT WAS NO MORE THAN A YEAR AND 4 MONTHS OLD. THE SPEED WAS BETWEEN 65-70MPH, AND WITHOUT WARNING HEARD A LOAD EXPLOSION. I LOOKED INTO THE RIGHT MIRROR, AND SAW THE TIRE DISINTEGRATING THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY 5TH WHEEL. ALL THE TIRES WERE CHECKED PRIOR TO LEAVING MYRTLE BEACH SC.,BY HAND AND VISUALLY. ALL THE TIRE HAD BETWEEN 77 TO 78 PSI IN THEM. THE SPARE WAS PUT ON, AND CONTINUED TO THE GOODYEAR SERVICE CENTER IN COLONIAL HEIGHTS VA. THE AUTO CENTER INITIALLY STATED THAT THIS WAS A ROAD HAZARD, UNTIL THE SPARE WAS TAKEN OFF. THE TIRE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE RIGHT FRONT HAD A BULGE ON THE INSIDE TREAD THAT WAS NOT VISIBLE UNTIL THE REAR TIRE WAS TAKEN. AT THIS POINT I INSISTED THAT ALL THE TIRES BE CHECKED BY THE GOODYEAR SERVICE CENTER. THEY TOOK BOTH LEFT SIDE TIRES OFF, PUT ONE TIRE ON THE SPIN BALANCER TO CHECK THE TIRE. THE SERVICE TECH FOUND TREAD SEPARATION IN A PORTION OF THE TIRE. THE SECOND TIRE ON THE LEFT FRONT ALSO SHOWED OBVIOUS TREAD SEPARATION WITHOUT THE SPIN BALANCER CHECK.THE GOODYEAR SERVICE CENTER WARRANTED ALL FOUR TIRES FOR TREAD SEPARATION. THANK GOD I INSISTED THAT THE REMAINING TIRES BE CHECKED. I BELIEVE THAT I WOULD HAVE EXPERIENCED ANOTHER BLOW OUT DOWN THE ROAD. THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LOOK INTO A RECALL ON THESE TIRES. THE DOT DATE CODE WAS 2014 ON ALL THESE TIRES, AND HAD MAYBE 3000 MILES ON THEM. THE SERVICE CENTER STATED THAT THEY WERE ALL MANUFACTURED AT THE SAME LOCATION. GOODYEAR USA WAS CONTACTED, AND A CLAIM NUMBER WAS ASSIGNED. HAVE TO FILE A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO HAVE DAMAGES FIXED. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE. I NOW AM LEFT IN DOUBT ABOUT HOW SAFE ARE THE NEW REPLACEMENT TIRES.

WE WERE IN THE GIFFORD PINCHOT NATIONAL FOREST TRAILING OUR UNIT. THIS WAS ON A NICELY PAVED ROAD, NF90 NORTH OF COUGAR, WA. HAD TO TURN AROUND SO WE COULD FIND A PLACE FOR THE NIGHT, AND DID SO AT A T INTERSECTION. I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO INSURE SAFETY AND GUIDE MY FIANCE'. I NOTICED THAT THE WHEELS DID NOT LOOK RIGHT. I CALLED MY FIANCE' OUT OF THE TRUCK TO LOOK. HE AGREED, BUT SAID WE NEEDED TO GET THE TRAILER STRAIGHT WITH THE TRUCK BECAUSE WE HAD TWO INDEPENDENT AXELS. HE PULLED THE TRAILER BACK ONTO NF90 GOING SOUTH WHERE IT WAS IN LINE WITH THE TRUCK AND THE ROAD WAS LEVEL. IT APPEARS AS IF THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN ON-GOING, EVIDENT BY RUST. AT TIMES WE HAVE GONE 70MPH. AT THE TIME WE NOTICED WE WERE BARELY MOVING. WE ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. THE DAMAGE IS QUITE SEVERE. THE FRAME IS GAPING AT THE CENTER HANGER 'REINFORCEMENT' WELD AND BULGING JUST FORWARD OF THAT AREA. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROGRESSIVE ISSUE WITH THE AMOUNT OF RUST INVOLVED AND WHERE IT IS AT. FROM MY LIMITED RESEARCH, FRAME TEARS HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE WITH LIPPERT GOING AS FAR BACK AS 2005. THE SUSPENSION HAS CRACKS IN IT AS WELL, AGAIN PROGRESSIVE WITH RUST. THE AXLES ARE BOTH PUSHED TO THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE UNIT. THE LEAF SPRING BUCKLES HAVE SEPARATED WITH THE SHIFTING OF THE AXLES. **SEVERAL COMPLAINTS RE LIPPERT FRAMES (KEYSTONE USES LIPPERT PARTS) ARE FOUND IN THE ODI DATABASE** MY FRAME HAS TORN IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE AS THE "FIX" POSTED ON THE ODI WEBSITE - HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/ACM18731969/RCRIT-11V486-1111.PDF WE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE SLIDES AND DOORS OF THIS UNIT SINCE WE PURCHASED IT - ALL INDICATIVE OF A MISALIGNED FRAME OR FRAME COMPONENTS. I HAVE MORE PICTURES AND INFO THAN WEBSITE WILL ALLOW TO UPLOAD. PLEASE CONTACT.

PIN BOX BUILT BY LIPPERT HAS FAILED, LABELED AS 21K LB PIN BOX. TRAILAIR TRIGLIDE HAS FAILED, BOTTOM PLATE (PIN) WHERE ROLLERS ALLOW PLATE TO SLIDE HAS BROKEN WELDS. CURRENTLY IN TO BE REPLACED. WHEN CALLED TO FIND REPLACEMENT PART, LIPPERT CROSS REFERENCED REPLACEMENT AS AN 18K LB PIN BOX. PIN BOXES ARE MISLABELED FOR WEIGHT RATING. THIS SUPPOSED 18K LB PIN BOX (ACTUALLY LABELED AS 21K LB) HAS BEEN OVERLOADED (UNBEKNOWNST TO ME) FOR NEARLY 18 MONTHS, A FAILURE LIKE THIS COULD CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT WHILE TOWING OR EVEN DEATH. UNIT IS CURRENTLY AT RV SERVICE OF VIRGINIA (804-798-1433) TO BE REPLACED.

A 2015 TRAVEL TRAILER, KEYSTONE LAREDO 240MK PURCHASED IN AUGUST 2015 HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM, CONSIDERED A SAFETY HAZARD: WHILE UNDERWAY WE HAD A FLAT TIRE. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE THE TIRE AND INSTALL THE SPARE TIRE, IT TURNED OUT THAT THE BOLT PATTERN DID NOT MATCH THE AXLE LUGS. IT WAS CLOSE BUT NOT QUITE. WE HAD TO MANAGE TO CRAWL TO A SAFER PLACE WHERE FROM HELP COULD BE SUMMONED. AN INEXPERIENCED OR OLDER DRIVER MAY MISTAKENLY HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE WHEEL WAS SECURELY ATTACHED TO THE AXLE AND DRIVEN OFF. THAT WOULD UNQUESTIONABLY HAVE RESULTED IN THE WHEEL SHEERING OFF THE LUGS AND A 'RUN-AWAY' WHEEL ON THE HIGHWAY, POSSIBLY CAUSING ALL KIND OF ACCIDENTS. THE MANUFACTURER, KEYSTONE OF GOSHEN, IN, HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM, BUT SO FAR 2 WEEKS LATER HAVE YET TO RESPOND. I STRONGLY SUSPECT THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY TRAVEL TRAILER WITH THAT PROBLEM, AND I THINK NHRSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER ASAP, SOMEONE GETS HURT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE A USEABLE SPARE TIRE/WHEEL.

THE ELECTRIC BRAKES HAVE A VERY FLIMSY CONNECTION BEHIND EACH BRAKE PLATE. A VERY SMALL WIRE IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS. IN OUR CASE, SOMETHING BROKE THE WIRE AND THE BRAKES FAILED. KEYSTONE HAD THEIR DEALER REPAIR THE WIRE TO ITS ORIGINAL FLIMSY STATE. A FEW MONTHS AGO THE TRAILER BRAKES WERE IRRATIC (UNRELIABLE). I TOOK THE TRAILER TO REPAIR FACILITY. IN SEARCHING FOR THE PROBLEM, THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE RUBBER GASKET ON ALL FOUR INNER GREASE SEALS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED BECAUSE THEY WERE UNDERSIZED. IF THE GREASE ISN'T CONTAINED IN THE BEARINGS, EVENTUALLY THE WHEELS WILL FALL OFF. PICTURES ARE ATTACHED. THE HEAT IN THE INTERIOR LIGHTS HAS ALWAYS BEEN OF CONCERN. PICTURES OF A PARTIALLY MELTED LIGHT BULB AND LENSES ARE ATTACHED. VARIOUS ARTICLES SAY GLASS WILL MELT AT 900F ISN'T A 900F A FIRE HAZARD. I REPLACED THE BULBS WITH LED'S WHICH WAS A SIMPLE PROCESS. I WROTE TO THE PRESIDENT OF KEYSTONE. HE SAID THE DIRECTOR OF OWNER RELATIONS CALL ME; SHE THE CONDITIONS I REPORTED WERE NORMAL AND THAT KEYSTONE WOULDN'T PARTICIPATE IN FIXING THESE ISSUES NOR REIMBURSE ME FOR FIXING THESE PROBLEMS.

THE SPARE TIRE HOLDER MOUNTED ON THE REAR BUMPER BROKE WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WE WERE SHOCKED TO SEE HOW LIGHT IT WAS MADE AFTER IT BROKE. NO INJURIES HAPPEN BUT THIS COULD HAVE EASILY TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY. WE DID NOT FIND OUR SPARE TIRE.