TIFFIN Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TIFFIN PHAETON RV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH IN A RAIN STORM, BOTH WINDSHIELD WIPER BRACKETS BROKE OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT PURCHASES TWO NEW ARM ASSEMBLIES TO REINSTALL THE WINDSHIELD BRACKETS HIMSELF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000. UPDATED 11/28/12*LJ

1999 TIFFEN MOTORHOME. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO LOSS OF BRAKES DUE TO THE FREEZING OF THE PISTONS IN THE CALIPERS. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES LOCKED UP NUMEROUS TIMES. ON ONE OCCASIONS, IT CAUSED A FIRE UNDER THE FRONT END OF THE MOTORHOME.

A BRACKET HOLDING THE REAR SWAY BAR TO THE CHASSIS ON THE DRIVER SIDE IS MISSING ONE OF TWO BOLTS. THE BRACKET IS BENT AND HANGS USELESSLY FROM THE CHASSIS. THIS 2011 TIFFIN ALLEGRO WAS BUILT ON A FORD F53 CHASSIS. MULTIPLE REPORTS AT TIFFINRVNETWORK.COM ALERTED ME TO CHECK FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

TRAVELING DOWN ROAD AND SMELLED BURNING. PARKED AFTER A SHORT DISTANCE UNTIL NEXT DAY. BRAKES WERE NOT RELEASING. NEXT DAY AFTER COOLING, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE FACILITY, HOWEVER ADVISED BRAKES WERE FINE. APPROXIMATELY A MONTH LATER I WAS BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR AN UNRELATED MATTER. I HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES AND WAS NEAR THE DEALER WHEN THE SAME SMELL OCCURRED. DEALER FOUND THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE CALIPER HAD FAILED. IT WAS CHANGED. APPROXIMATELY FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, I HAD LEFT MY HOUSE AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES WHEN SAME SMELL APPEARED AND BRAKES DRAGGING. TURNED AROUND AND WENT HOME. THE RIGHT FRONT CALIPER HAD FAILED AND MELTED THE ABS SENSOR WHICH HAVE SINCE BOTH BEEN CHANGED. CONCERNED ABOUT REAR BRAKES FAILING. *TR

THE AUTO PARK BRAKE (J72) ON MY WORKHORSE W-24 CHASSIS ACTIVATED WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH ON ARKANSAS INTERSTATE 35 BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A VERY ABRUPT STOP. IN RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I HAVE FOUND THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, ESPECIALLY IF NO BERM WAS AVAILABLE TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY. AFTER BEING TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAITING 10 DAYS FOR REPAIR, WE WERE NOTIFIED NO PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE UNTIL EARLY MAY. UPON RETURNING HOME (OHIO), WE HAVE DISCOVERED THERE IS CURRENTLY NO ONE MAKING THE PARTS AND MAYBE THEY COULD BE AVAILABLE SOME TIME IN AUGUST. IT IS VERY DISCOURAGING THAT WORKHORSE DOES NOT HAVE A SUPPLY OF PARTS AVAILABLE. *TR

2006 ALLEGRO BAY MOTORHOME. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BRAKE ISSUES WITH VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE AUTO PARK WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THEN THE BRAKE ENGAGED WHICH CAUSED THE MOTORHOME TO IMMEDIATELY COME TO A STOP. THE RV WOULD NOT MOVE UNTIL THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS REMOVED. THE RV WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHERE ALL THE CONNECTIONS WERE CLEANED AND RECONNECTED AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS TURNED OFF. ON APRIL 13, 2012 THE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE PARKING BRAKE UNIT WAS REPLACED. ONCE IT WAS REPLACED , IT WAS DETERMINED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WAS THE CAUSE.

AFTER EXITING INTERSTATE, STOPPING AT END OF RAMP, MAKING LEFT TURN, PROCEEDING 2 MILES THEN TURNING LEFT INTO CAMPGROUND, MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND PUMPING BARELY GOT US STOPPED. UPON EXITING MH THE HOT BRAKE SMELL AND SMOKE WERE COMING FROM REAR TIRES. WE LET MH SIT FOR TIME TO COOL BRAKES SO WE COULD GET TO PARKING SPOT. EMER. ROAD SERVICE WAS CALLED AND WE WERE TOWED NEXT DAY TO REPAIR SHOP FOR MOTORCOACHES. REPAIR NEEDED WAS EXTENSIVE AND ALL ASSOCIATED BRAKE PARTS WERE REPLACED INCLUDING PADS,CALIPERS, OIL SEALS, ABS SENSORS, REAR END FLUID, BRAKE FLUID FLUSHING. FRONT BRAKES WERE INSPECTED, FOUND OK, BUT PADS WERE REPLACED AS PRECAUTION. THE BRAKES HAD HARDLY BEEN USED DURING DRIVE ON INTERSTATE SINCE I HAVE EXHAUST BRAKE. THERE HAD BEEN NO PREVIOUS TROUBLE WITH BRAKES. WE HAD ANOTHER INCIDENT OF REAR BRAKES OVERHEATING 8/19/11 AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL MILES ON LEVEL ROAD. THERE WERE ONLY 2 TIMES BRAKES NEEDED TO BE USED AND BOTH GENTLE STOPS. MILEAGE 42174. MECHANIC WAS CALLED TO CHECK FOR DAMAGE BUT WE WERE LUCKY, HE FOUND NONE. WHILE IN VEGAS WE HAD RECALL FL577C (BRAKE SWITCH) DONE AND I ASKED SERVICE MGR.ABOUT BRAKE RECALLS OF OTHER KINDS HE SAID NONE. I HAD ALSO ASKED PREVIOUS SERVICE MGR. ABOUT RECALLS ON BRAKES BECAUSE I WAS AWARE BOSCH BRAKE RECALL ON WORKHORSE CHASSIS, AGAIN NONE WAS THE ANSWER. *TR

STARTED SMELLING STRONG BRAKE SMELL STOPPED FOUND LEFT REAR BRAKE VERY HOT. *TR

WE HAVE FOUND CRACKS AND/OR FRACTURES ON THE ROOF OF OUR 2008 TIFFIN PHAETON QSH MOTOR HOME. THESE CRACKS ARE MOSTLY ALONG THE CURVED EDGE OF THE FIBERGLASS ROOF. THIS DEFECT SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY POOR QUALITY MATERIALS AND POOR DESIGN BY TIFFIN MOTOR HOMES LEADING TO CRACKS DUE TO "FLEXING" OF THE VEHICLE STRUCTURAL FRAME DURING TRAVEL. THIS VEHICLE DEFECT HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED TO TIFFIN BY MANY OWNERS OF THEIR PRODUCTS BEGINNING IN 2007 (AND PERHAPS BEFORE) THROUGH 2011 MODELS BASED ON INFORMATION FROM DEALERS AND OTHER MOTOR HOME OWNERS. THESE CRACKS LEAD TO MOISTURE SEEPING THROUGH TO INTERIOR WALLS AND COULD CREATE AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE DUE TO MOLD WITHIN THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE BEHIND THE INTERIOR WALLS. TIFFIN MOTOR HOMES HAS NOT NOTIFIED ANY VEHICLE OWNERS OF THIS DEFECT; THEREFORE, CAUSING MANY OF THESE VEHICLES TO BE SOLD BY CURRENT OWNERS TO OTHER CONSUMERS THAT ARE NOT AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND POTENTIAL MOLD ISSUES. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT TIFFIN IS "REPAIRING" THIS DEFECT THAT INVOLVES MOST ALL OF THEIR DIESEL PUSHER MODELS, BUT ONLY IF THE OWNER BRINGS THE RV TO THEIR RED BAY, AL, SERVICE FACILITY, WITH SERVICE APPOINTMENTS SEVERAL MONTHS OUT AT THIS TIME. THIS PUTS UNDUE HARDSHIP AND EXPENSE ON MOST OWNERS AND WILL, MOST LIKELY, LEAD TO A LOW RATE OF REPAIR OF THIS DEFECT ON MANY VEHICLES. TIFFIN MOTOR HOMES SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND REPORT THIS STRUCTURAL DEFECT TO ALL CURRENT OWNERS OF MODELS IMPACTED AND PROVIDE QUALIFIED SERVICE FACILITIES NATIONWIDE TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT, INCLUDING CERTIFIED MOLD REMEDIATION. TIFFIN SHOULD ALSO BE REQUIRED TO REPORT HOW THIS MAJOR STRUCTURAL DEFECT HAS BEEN CORRECTED, IF IT HAS ACTUALLY BEEN CORRECTED, BY ENGINEERING AND DESIGN CHANGES IN CURRENT MODEL YEAR VEHICLES. *TR

THE WET BAY FLOOR HOLDING THE FRESH WATER, GRAY WATER, AND BLACK WATER TANKS HAS ROTTED UNDERNEATH THE MOTORCOACH DUE TO THE POOR DESIGN/ENGINEERING BY TIFFIN MOTOR HOMES, AS WELL AS VERY POOR QUALITY MATERIALS USED. THERE IS VERY LITTLE STRUCTURAL SUPPORT FOR THE TANKS UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. ALL OF THE TANKS AND WET BAY AREA HAVE TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE FULL EXTENT OF THE ROTTING AND MOLD IN THIS AREA. THE INTERIOR FLOOR OF THE MOTOR HOME HAS ALSO BEGUN TO DROP LIKELY DUE TO THIS ROTTING. TIFFIN MOTOR HOMES IS FULLY AWARE OF THIS MAJOR DEFECT IN VEHICLES DATING BACK TO 2006 OR BEFORE ON MOST DIESEL PUSHER MODELS INVOLVING HUNDREDS TO SEVERAL THOUSAND VEHICLES. BASED ON REPORTS FROM OTHER TIFFIN OWNERS THERE HAS BEEN MINIMAL OR NO ENGINEERING OR MATERIAL CHANGES MADE TO SUBSEQUENT MODEL YEARS. THE COMPANY IS "REPLACING OR REPAIRING" THIS MAJOR DEFECT, BUT ONLY IF THE MOTOR HOME IS BROUGHT TO THEIR RED BAY, AL, SERVICE FACILITY AND SERVICE APPOINTMENTS ARE CURRENTLY 12 TO 18 MONTHS OUT. THIS REQUIRES AN ALMOST 2000 MILE DRIVE FOR US TO HAVE A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT REPAIRED. BUT WE MUST GET TO THE REPAIR FACILITY WITHOUT OUR TANKS FALLING OFF THE MOTOR HOME ONTO THE ROADWAY CAUSING A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM FOR US AND OTHER DRIVERS AS WELL AS A POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE BECAUSE THESE TANKS ARE HOLDING TANKS FOR SEWAGE AND HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH CHEMICALS. OTHER OWNERS HAVE REPORTED HAVING TO WELD ADDITIONAL SUPPORT BEAMS UNDER THEIR RV THEMSELVES IN ORDER TO DRIVE AND GET IT IN FOR REPAIR. A ROTTING UNDERCARRIAGE OF AN RV IS DANGEROUS ON HIGHWAYS AND TIFFIN SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY, AT QUALIFIED SERVICE FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AT THEIR COST. THERE SHOULD BE A FULL INVESTIGATION INTO WHY TIFFIN HAS KNOWINGLY FAILED TO CORRECT THIS DEFECT FOR YEARS CREATING SAFETY ISSUES AND EXPENSE FOR OWNERS. *TR