PALOMINO Complaints

GREASE CONTAMINATION ON BRAKE LININGS --- 7000 LBS CAPACITY LIPPERT AXLES [COMPLAINT FILED BY BOWMAN (ODI) AFTER PHONE CONVERSATION WITH OWNER].

UPON INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND THAT GREASE SEALS HAD FAILED ON ALL FOUR WHEEL ASSEMBLIES. GREASE HAD LEAKED OUT AND COATED THE BRAKE ASSEMBLIES. BRAKING ACTION HAD BEEN DIMINISHED SUBSTANTIALLY. IN OCTOBER 2013, A LOCAL DEALER REPLACED ALL FOUR BRAKE ASSEMBLIES AND SEALS UNDER FOREST RIVER WARRANTY. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2014 FORREST RIVER/PALOMINO/COLUMBUS 320RS IN APRIL OF 2013. ON A CAMPING TRIP IN SEPTEMBER I RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON THE DASH OF MY TRUCK TO CHECK THE TRAILER BRAKES. WHEN I GOT TO THE CAMPSITE I FOUND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE HAD BEEN PULLED OUT, ACTIVATING THE BRAKES. PROBLEM WAS, I DIDN'T FEEL THE BRAKES. WHEN I GOT HOME I REMOVED THE R/F WHEEL OF THE 5TH WHEEL. IT WAS COVERED IN GREASE. I THEN CHECKED THE OTHER WHEELS AND FOUND ALL FOUR TO HAVE FAILED GREASE SEALS, THREE OF THE FOUR SHOE ASSEMBLIES COVERED IN GREASE, AND ONE WHEEL, THE L/R THE BRAKE WIRES WERE SEVERED. AFTER TAKING IT TO AN INCOMPETENT RECOMMEND SERVICE FACILITY, I ENDED UP REPLACING ALL FOUR BRAKE ASSEMBLIES MYSELF. AFTER 5-6 SHORT, AND ONE VERY LONG TRIP WITH THIS UNIT, IT IS A MIRACLE THAT THERE WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT. THERE ARE APPARENTLY MANY OF THESE COLUMBUS 5TH WHEELS WITH THIS ISSUE. SHAME ON FORREST RIVER FOR USING LIPPERT INDUSTRIES FOR THE AXLES OF THESE CAMPERS. I KNOW WITH MY UNIT IT IS A WORKMANSHIP ISSUE AS ALL FOUR SEALS WERE DAMAGED ON INSTALLATION. *TR

BRAKE SEALS ARE OVER GREASED OR BROKEN. WE'VE HAD OUR UNIT GO BACK TO THE MANUFACTURERS FACTORY FOR WORK & HAD THEM CHECK THE BRAKES & SEALS. THE UNIT CAME BACK WITH DIFFERENT WHEELS AND BRAKES BUT THE ISSUE OF LITERALLY HAVING LITTLE TO NO BRAKES WHEN PULLING WAS MOST DEFINITELY STILL THERE. LIPPERT MAKES THE BRAKE & PARTS AND WE TRIED CONTACTING THEM ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE. WE WERE NOT HELPED MUCH AT ALL. WE VOICED OUR PROBLEM TO LIPPE VIA PHONE, EMAIL & THEIR FACEBOOK WALL. THE MANUFACTURER OF OUR UNIT SAYS IT'S LIPPERTS PROBLEM. ALL IT WILL TAKE IS US GOING DOWN A HILL IN OUR F350 PULLING OUR 42FT. UNIT WITH THESE DEFECTIVE BRAKES THAT ARE BEING PRE ASSEMBLED BY LIPPERT AND APPLIED BY FOREST RIVER'S COLUMBUS PALOMINO FACTORY STAFF, THERE IS NO TELLING HOW MANY LIVES CAN AND WILL BE TAKEN INCLUDING OURS DUE TO THIS ISSUE. WE ARE ALSO MEMBERS OF A COLUMBUS RV GROUP AND WE ARE NOT ALONE IN OUR SCREAM FOR HELP AND FOR THESE BRAKES AND PARTS TO BE RECALLED!!! *TR

WHILE TAKING OUR FIRST LONG TRIP IN OUR NEW COLUMBUS 5TH WHEEL TRAILER EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE QUICKLY DISCOVERED THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. AT FIRST IT SEEMED MINOR, BUT THE MORE WE TRAVELED, THE MORE EVIDENT IT BECAME. IT CULMINATED WITH A TRIP INTO A STATE PARK IN TEXAS THAT HAD A STEEP WINDING ROAD DOWN IN TO THE CAMPGROUND. PART WAY DOWN REALIZED THAT I HAD ALMOST NO BRAKING ABILITY FROM MY TRAILER. AFTER LEAVING THIS PARK I FOUND A SHOP IN KENTUCKY THAT COULD INSPECT MY BRAKES. UPON PULLING ALL 4 DRUMS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT ALL BRAKE ASSEMBLIES WERE COATED WITH GREASE, AND THE MAGNETS HAD BEEN STICKING TO THE DRUMS CAUSING BRAKE SHOW DRAG. 3 OUT OF THE 4 WHEELS HAD ALMOST NO BRAKE PAD REMAINING. THE OPINION OF THE TECH WAS THAT ALL OF THE WHEEL GREASE SEALS HAD FAILED. THE TRAILER WAS ABOUT 4 MONTHS OLD AND HAD ABOUT 1000 MILES OF USE AT THIS POINT. THE SHOP CONTACTED LIPPERT COOMPONENTS, THE MANUFACTURER OF THE CHASSIS.LIPPERT SENT THE SHOP 4 BRAND NEW COMPLETE BRAKE ASSEMBLIES. I WATCHED THE TECH REMOVE AND INSTALL THE 4 NEW ASSEMBLIES. NO ADDITIONAL GREASE WAS ADDED, OR NEEDED AS THEY WERE ALL COMPLETE FROM LIPPERT. WE LEFT KENTUCKY AND HEADED FOR YUMA TENNESSEE, A DISTANCE OF APPROX 250 MILES. IN ROUTE I WAS ALERTED BY MY ON BOARD TPMS SYSTEM THAT ONE OF MY TRAILER TIRES WAS RUNNING SIGNIFICANTLY HOTTER THAN THE REST. I PULLED INTO A REST STOP AND CHECKED THE TIRES AND DRUMS WITH A INFRARED THERMOMETER. 3 OF THE TIRES WERE IN THE 95-105 DEGREE RANGE, BUT THE LEFT REAR WAS AT 246 DEGREES. I CRAWLED UNDER THE RIG AND BACKED OFF THE STAR ADJUSTER ON THE BRAKE THINKING THAT THE BRAKE WAS ADJUSTED TOO TIGHT. UPON ARRIVAL TO YUMA TN I CHECKED THEM AGAIN. THERE WERE STILL THE SAME. I PULLED THE CONCERNED WHEEL AT THE CAMPGROUND AND FOUND THE NEW ASSEMBLY COATED WITH GREASE. THE BRAKE SEAL HAD FAILED YET AGAIN. *TR

FROM THE TIME WE BOUGHT OUR NEW FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER, IT HAD NOT APPEARED TO STOP LIKE PREVIOUS TRAILERS WE HAD OWNED. I EVEN WENT AND TRADED IN A ONE YEAR OLD F-250 FOR A F-350 DUALLY AND IT STILL DID NOT SEEM TO STOP PROPERLY. AFTER OUR ONLY TRIP OF APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES, WE FIGURED OUT THAT WE TRULY HAD NO TRAILER BRAKES. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT BACK TO OUR DEALER WHO PULLED ALL THE WHEELS AND BRAKE ASSEMBLIES. ALL OF THE BRAKES WERE COVERED WITH GREASE AND EVIDENTLY THE REAR SEALS WERE BLOWN. LIPPERT WAS CONTACTED AND THEY SENT FOUR ENTIRELY NEW BRAKE ASSEMBLIES. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN PULLING A TRAILER WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 13,000 POUNDS. WE HAVE NOT USED IT SINCE THE BRAKES WERE CHANGED AND I CERTAINLY HOPE THE SEALS DO NOT FAIL AGAIN AND ARE OF A DIFFERENT TYPE. *TR ## VIN PASSED ## PALOMINO COLUMBUS 2013 RS320 ##

THE LIPPERT 6K AXLE ON THE LISTED 5TH WHEEL TRAILER, WHEEL SEALS FAILED ALLOWING GREASE TO CONTAMINATE THE BRAKE SHOES, DIMINISHING OR ELIMINATING BRAKING ABILITY OF THE TRAILER. THIS IS AN ON GOING AND RE-OCCURRING PROBLEM WITH THESE AXLES, NOT JUST ON THE COLUMBUS/FOREST RIVER LINE. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. *TR

NOTE!!! THIS IS ON A COLUMBUS PALOMINO 365RL 5TH WHEEL CAMPER TRAILER BY FOREST RIVER THAT IS NOT LISTED IN THE TRAILER LISTING SO I LISTED AS A COLEMAN AS THEY LISTED A TRAVEL TRAILER. BELT SEPARATION FAILURE OF AN AKURET H188 TIRE WHILE TRAVELING FROM MASSACHUSETTS TO GEORGIA. WHILE DOING A PRE-TRIP INSPECTION I NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT SIDE REAR AXLE TIRE WAS MIS-SHAPEN AND HAD AN OBVIOUS BELT FAILURE. I AM VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT TIRE PRESSURE AND LOAD AND CHECK PRESSURES ALONG WITH A CDL TYPE INSPECTION OF BOTH TRAILER AND TRUCK BEFORE EACH TRIP. PRESSURES FOR ALL FOUR TIRES ON THE TRAILERS WERE BETWEEN 78 AND 80 PSI COLD. I HAD PREVIOUSLY SCALED MY VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF ANOTHER TIRE FAILURE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CAMPER AND WEIGHT WAS APPROXIMATELY 1300 POUNDS UNDER THE MAX ALLOWABLE. IF THE SECOND TIRE HAD BLOWN ON THE SAME SIDE DUE TO ADDED STRESS OF LACK OF WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION THE CAMPER WOULD HAVE BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE. THIS IS SERIOUS. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE FAILURE IF NEEDED. *TR

NOTE!!! THIS IS ON A COLUMBUS PALOMINO 365RL 5TH WHEEL CAMPER TRAILER BY FOREST RIVER THAT IS NOT LISTED IN THE TRAILER LISTING SO I LISTED AS A COLEMAN AS THEY LISTED A TRAVEL TRAILER. CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF AN AKURET H188 TIRE WHILE TRAVELING FROM MAINE TO GEORGIA. WE WERE WAVED OVER BY A PASSING TRUCK AND FOUND THE LEFT REAR TIRE ON OUR 5TH WHEEL CAMPER SHREDDED WITH DAMAGE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND FENDER. WE CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AS WE WERE ON I295 IN MASSACHUSETTS AND I DID NOT WANT TO ENDANGER MYSELF WITH THE HEAVY TRAFFIC. WE SUBSEQUENTLY WENT TO A MAJOR MASS TIRE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THEY HAD ONE TIRE OF THAT BRAND AND SIZE IN THEIR SYSTEM AND COULD GET IT THE NEXT DAY. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $130. AT THAT TIME I WENT TO THE CAMPER MANUFACTURER'S OWNERS FORUM AND FOUND A VERY ACTIVE THREAD ON THIS PARTICULAR BRAND AND SIZE OF TIRE. I AM VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT TIRE PRESSURE AND LOAD AND CHECK PRESSURES ALONG WITH A CDL TYPE INSPECTION OF BOTH TRAILER AND TRUCK BEFORE EACH TRIP. PRESSURES FOR ALL FOUR TIRES ON THE TRAILERS WERE BETWEEN 78 AND 80 PSI COLD. AFTER THE FAILURE I WANTED TO BE SURE OF WEIGHT AND WENT THROUGH A TRUCK SCALE AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 1300 POUNDS UNDER THE MAX ALLOWABLE. IF THE SECOND TIRE HAD BLOWN ON THE SAME SIDE DUE TO ADDED STRESS OF LACK OF WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION THE CAMPER WOULD HAVE BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE. THIS IS SERIOUS. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE FAILURE IF NEEDED. *TR

I HAVE NOTICED SINCE WE FIRST PURCHASED OUR COLUMBUS 340RK FIFTH WHEEL THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT FEEL ADEQUATE. HOWEVER, BEING A FIRST TIME OWNER OF SUCH A BIG TRAILER I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS NORMAL OR NOT. ON OR ABOUT 2 SEPTEMBER 2013 WE ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DESCENDING A STEEP GRADE. UPON INSPECTING THE BRAKES I DISCOVERED THAT THREE OF THE FOUR WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES HAD DEFECTIVE INNER WHEEL GREASE SEAL THAT ALLOWED GREASE TO COMPLETELY COAT THE BRAKES. I CALLED LIPPERT (LCI) TO REPORT MY SITUATION AND THE FACT THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER COLUMBUS OWNER'S THAT I WAS AWARE OF THAT CAME ACROSS THE SAME ISSUE WITH ONE OR MORE BRAKES HAVING BEEN COATED WITH GREASE. I WAS TOLD BY [XXX] IN THE LCI WARRANTY DEPARTMENT THAT THIS DIDN'T CONSTITUTE A RECALL AND TRIED TO MAKE LIGHT OF THE SITUATION. I AM SURE THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE COLUMBUS OWNERS OUT THERE WITH LESS EXPERIENCE THAN ME THAT MIGHT NOT KNOW HOW TO INSPECT THEIR BRAKES OR KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD INSPECT THERE BRAKES. HOPEFULLY THE NHTSA CAN FORCE SOME SORT OF REQUIRED SAFETY INSPECTION OR RECALL TO INSURE THE SAFETY OF ALL RV OWNERS THAT HAVE THESE SAME TYPE OF BRAKES AS THEY ARE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY. LIPPERT HAS AGREED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR OF MY BRAKE ASSEMBLIES UNDER WARRANTY; HOWEVER, I FEEL THEY COULD DO MORE TO PROTECT THE UNKNOWING OWNERS OF THESE RV'S. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR