KEYSTONE Complaints

(2) 2,500 LB FLUSH MOUNT D-RINGS IN CARGO AREA PULLED OUT OF FLOOR WHILE TRAVELING NORTH IN INTERSTATE 5 IN CALIFORNIA. 600LB MOTORCYCLE FULL OF FUEL CAME LOOSE AND CRASHED INTO WALL OF TRAILER. DISCOVERED THAT ALL OF THE D-RINGS WERE IMPROPERLY SECURED TO FRAME AND FLOOR OF TRAILER BY MANUFACTURER BY (1) DRILL TIP SCREW INTO FRAME AND (2) WOOD SCREWS INTO PLYWOOD. ONE OF THE D-RINGS THAT CAME LOOSE HAD ALLEGEDLY BEEN FIXED UNDER WARRENTY AT THE RV DEALERSHIP UNDER KEYSTONES DIRECTION. A LOOSE MOTOR VEHICLE IN A TOY HAULER COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE FIRE, EXPLOSION INJURY OR DEATH FROM LEAKING FUEL, PROPANE AND ELECTRICAL SHORTS. *TR

THIS REPORT WAS TAKEN OVER THE PHONE BY BOWMAN AT ODI AND RECORDED AS A VOQ. AT AN RV PARK IN AMADO, NM, THIS OWNER OF THIS MY 2005 MONTANA WAS APPROACHED BY THE OWNER OF A 2007 MY KEYSTONE MONTANA WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED THE SEPARATION (DROP TO PAVEMENT) OF THE VEHICLE STABILIZER JACK CENTER BAR WHILE THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS PRIOR INCIDENT IS DESCRIBED IN VOQ 10437722. THE NEWLY-INFORMED OWNER OF THE 2005 MONTANA (REPRESENTED BY THIS VOQ) CHECKED HIS STABILIZER JACK AND DETERMINED THAT THE SCREWS INTENDED TO SECURE THE JACK CROSS MEMBER WERE NOT IN PLACE AND THE CROSS MEMBER HAD DISPLACED ITSELF LATERALLY FROM ITS INTENDED POSITION (BUT NOT TO POINT OF SEPARATION). UPDATED 03/06/12 *BF.....UPDATED 03/21/12 *BF UPDATED 03/23/12

THE 2011 KEYSTONE COUGAR XLITE 26SAB BUMPER IS SEPARATING FROM THE RV FRAME ALONG THE WELD JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RV CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR THE BUMPER, SPARE TIRE CARRIER, AND SPARE TIRE TO SEPARATE ENTIRELY THE FRAME. THE BUMPER IS USED ONLY FOR THE SPARE TIRE AND IT'S MOUNTING BRACKET. UPDATED 06/27/12 *BF RECEIVED PHOTOS. UPDATED 06/27/12 UPDATED 07/26/12*LJ UPDATED 07/30/12

2009 KEYSTONE MONTANA 3400 RL FIFTH WHEEL. CONSUMER STATES TIRE BLEW WHILE DRIVING *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD DONE OVER A $1,000 IN DAMAGE TO THE RV, BY THE TIME HE WAS ABLE TO STOP. ON OCTOBER 27, 2001 THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO STOP THE RV AND SUFFERED LESS DAMAGE THAN BEFORE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE TIRES WERE MADE IN CHINA WITH INSUFFICIENT PLYS IN THE SIDEWALL. *JB

I HAVE A 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA FIFTH WHEEL WITH BAL "C" JACKS (NORCO INDUSTRIES) ON THE REAR FRAME. WHILE TRAILERING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA I WAS SIGNALED TO PULL OVER BY ANOTHER DRIVER. WHEN I DID, I NOTICED THE BOTH C JACK WERE DRAGGING ON THE PAVEMENT. IT WAS NOT THE PEDESTAL END OF THE JACKS BUT THE ENDS TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE TRAILER AND THE T BRACKETS BRACKETS WERE BENT. I HAD TO REMOVE BOTH JACKS TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO MY HOME IN ARIZONA. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE JACKS AND I DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SUPPORT CHANNEL THAT WAS MISSING. I PURCHASED THE NECESSARY PARTS THROUGH A DEALER AND INSTALLED THEM MYSELF. APPARENTLY THE SUPPORT CHANNEL FELL OUT SOMEWHERE ON THE FREEWAY, I KNOW NOT WHERE. ACCORDING TO THE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE JACKS, THE SUPPORT CHANNEL SHOULD BE WELDED OR SECURED BY SCREW. IT WAS NOT. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF A SCREW EVER BEING PRESENT. I HAVE SINCE MET TWO OTHER MONTANA OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME C JACK SYSTEM AND THEIR SUPPORT CHANNELS ARE STILL PRESENT BUT NOT SECURED. ONE WAS WITHIN AN INCH OF FALLING OFF! I CALLED KEYSTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE IN AUGUST AND RELAYED THE INFORMATION TO THEM. TO MY SURPRISE THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO CARE ABOUT THE INCIDENT. I SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS A POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS IF SOMEONE WAS HIT BY OR RAN OVER A SUPPORT CHANNEL WHICH COULD FALL ONTO THE ROADWAY. IT DIDN'T PHASE THEM AND SINCE THE 5TH WHEEL WAS ALMOST 4 YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I DON'T CARE THAT THEY WOULDN'T HELP ME WITH PARTS OR LABOR, I FIXED IT MYSELF WITH ABOUT $20 WORTH OF PARTS AND MY OWN LABOR TIME. I FIND IT ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE THAT THEY WON'T ADMIT THAT THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR METHOD OF INSTALLING THE JACKS. SOMEONE SHOULD GET THE WORD OUT! *KB

OWNER REPORTS THAT VEHICLE EXHIBITS A SIDE-TO-SIDE TILT (DRIVER-SIDE IS 1-1/2" LOWER THAN PASSENGER SIDE) DUE TO UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED SIDE-TO-SIDE LOADING. OWNER REPORTS RESULTS OF WEIGHING UNLOADED WEIGHING VEHICLE BY RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE: RIGHT SIDE: 3880 LBS; LEFT SIDE 4760 LBS (TOTAL 8640 LBS). TOTAL IS 9360 LBS. WHEN TRAILER LOADED -- WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION LOADED WAS NOT MEASURED. OWNER REPORTS NO OBSERVED CONCERNS REGARDING VEHICLE HANDLING. AXLE CAPACITY= 10,400 LBS (5200 LBS X 2). UPDATED 12/12/11*LJ UPDATED 12/23/11

CONSUMER STATES ONE YEAR AGO THEY PURCHASED A 2010 KEYSTONE COUGAR XLITE 26SAB FIFTH WHEEL. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEMS WITH CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR WAS NOT DISPLAYING A GREEN LIGHT. AFTER REMOVING IT, THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED IT WAS NOT BATTERY OPERATED, BUT RATHER HARD WIRED. THE WIRES WERE NOT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING. THE SCREWS TO THE DRAWERS WERE NOT LONG ENOUGH AND THE SLIDES HAD NO SUPPORT. THE CABINET DOORS UNDER THE SINK CAME COMPLETELY OFF, DUE TO THE SCREWS NOT BEING PROPERLY SECURED. THE DOOR AND SURROUNDING FRAME CAME OFF AND IT WAS DISCOVERED IT WAS KEPT IN PLACE WITH STAPLES AND NOT SCREWS. ANOTHER MOTORIST ALERTED THE CONSUMER THAT THE BUMPER HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE BACK OF THE TRAILER AND THE SPARE TIRE WAS DRAGGING ON THE ROAD. A REPAIR SHOP RE-WELDED THE BUMPER USING METAL L'S TO HOLD IT IN PLACE. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KEYSTONE COUGAR EQUIPPED WITH POWER KING TOW MAX TIRES. THE TIRE SIZE WAS 235/80/R16 AND THE DOT NUMBER WAS 83B5GPB1210. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WHEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. UPDATED 02/07/12 *BF WHEN THE TIRE EXPLODED, IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER.

ON INTERSTATE 85 ABOUT 20 MILES SW OF ATLANTA AT 60 MPH, TOWING MONTANA 5TH WHEEL, THE STREET SIDE TIRE ON THE FRONT LEADING AXLE HAD A SUDDEN BELT AND TREAD FAILURE. TIRE CASE DID NOT DEFLATE AND WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE ROAD SHOULDER. TIRE WAS A GOODYEAR MARATHON ST235 80R 16 LOAD RANGE E WITH ABOUT 3000 TO 4000 MILES AND CAME AS OEM TIRE ON THE UNIT. THE TIRE ON THE TRAILING AXLE ON THE SAME SIDE HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED WHEN I FOUND A 2 IN LONG SECTION OF THE INSIDE, WHERE TREAD MEATS THE SIDE WALL, COMING APART DURING A PRETRIP INSPECTION. I HAD CHECKED ALL THE TIRES AT A FUEL STOP JUST NORTH OF ATLANTA AND ALL TIRES WERE FOUND TO BE INFLATED TO CORRECT PSI AND NO PROBLEMS I COULD SEE BY SIGHT. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH MARATHON ST TIRES GOING BACK TO 1987 AND I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS BY THE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS I SEE ON RV BLOG'S. WHEN REPLACING A SET OF OEM MARATHON TIRES I USE AN LT TIRE IN THE CORRECT LOAD RANGE AND NOT A GOODYEAR TIRE. I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM REPEAT WITH LT TIRES. I DO THINK THAT THE MAX LOAD FOR A SINGLE MARATHON ST TIRE AT MAX COLD INFLATION PSI SHOULD BE TESTED AS I DO NOT THINK GOODYEAR IS CORRECT IN THERE GIVEN SPEC'S OF 3420 LB FOR AN ST235 80R 16 E TIRE. I HAVE NOTED THAT UP TO NOW I HAVE NOT HEARD OF AND DEATH OF INJURY BUT THERE IS ALWAYS DAMAGE TO THE RV WHEEL WELL AND THIS IS COSTLY TO REPAIR. SOONER OR LATER THERE WILL BE A DEATH OR INJURY WHEN A MARATHON ST TIRE HAS SUDDEN TREAD FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KEYSTONE FREEDOM LITE RV TAG-A- LONG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO RAILS FRACTURED ON THE SLIDE OUT BED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPAIRED THE SLIDE OUT ONCE BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO WAS WAITING ON THE MANUFACTURER TO GIVE THEM A RETURN CALL BEFORE REPAIRING A SECOND TIME. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE CONTACT SHOULD TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THERE WAS NO FAILURE MILEAGE ON THE TAG-A LONG.