LIFT SYSTEM CABLE SNAPPED ON DUTCHMEN CAMPER WHILE CAP WAS BEING RAISED. NEITHER DUTCHMEN CORP OR RV AMERICA (WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAMPER) WANTED TO ASSIST ME. WHEN I CONTACTED DUTCHMEN WARRANTY, THEY AGREED TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY CAMPER.*AK DURING THE INSPECTION BY DUTCHMEN WARRANTY, I WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS 50% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CABLE SNAPPING...AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS 50% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CABLE SNAPPING...AND THAT DUTCHMEN WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE. DUTCHMEN INFORMED ME THAT THE GOVERNMENT NO LONGER ALLOWS DUTCHMEN TO USE THE QUALITY OF SEAL REQUIRED TO PROPERLY SEAL THE CAP...AND THEREFORE, THE OWNER MUST REMOVE THE CAP SEAL EACH YEAR AND REPLACE THE SEAL. I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ON THE SEAL, THAT A CAMPER REQUIRES MORE MAINTANCE THAN A CAR DOES. DUTCHMEN WARRANTY REP INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE I DID NOT REPLACE THE CAP SEAL, THAT IT HAD ALLOWED WATER TO ENTER INTO THE WOOD OF THE CAP..AND THE CAP ABSORBED THE WATER AND THUS WEIGHTED FIVE TIMES MORE THAN IT SHOULD HAVE AND THUS CAUSED THE CABLE TO SNAP. DUTCHMEN DID AGREE TO FIX AT NO COST THE CAP, CABLE AND CABLE LIFT SYSTEM. WHEN THE CAMPER WAS RETURNED TO US, WE NOTED THAT DUTCHMEN USED A DIFFERENT SEAL ON THE CAP THAN HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN ON THE CAP...INDICATING THAT THE ORIGINAL CAP SEAL HAD BEEN DEFECTIVE. WHILE SEARCHING YOUR SITE FOR COMPLAINTS FILED ON DUTCHMEN CAMPERS, I NOTED THAT ODI ID NUMBER 554622 FOR A 1994 DUTCHMEN CAMPER STATED: "CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY DEALER THAT THE CAULKING MATERIAL LEAKS ALLOWING WATER TO PENETRATE INTO THE WOOD POSSIBLY CAUSING THE TOP TO COLLAPSE, DEALER SAID A WARRANTY REPAIR NOTICE WAS SENT, BUT CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED SUCH NOTICE."
- NHTSA ID
- 10037083
- Incident
- Jul 2, 2003
RE: ODI # 10025422 (DEFECT WITH DUTCHMEN LIFT SYSTEM CABLE). ON 7/07/03, MY WIFE CONTACTED DUTCHMEN CORP IN ELKHART, IN REGARDING THE FAILURE OF THE CABLE. DUTCHMEN CUSTOMER SERVICE INFORMED HER THAT THE CABLE FAILURE WAS NOT THIER CONCERN/ INFORMED MY WIFE THAT DAMAGED CABLE AND DAMAGE BY CABLE SNAPPING WAS NOT COVERED BY DUTCHMEN. MY WIFE CONTACTED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT RV AMERICA, THE SERVICE REP (WHO HAS NEVER LOOKED AT MY DUTCHMEN) STATED THE REASON THE CABLE HAD SNAPPED WAS BECAUSE OF LACK OF MATIENCE. REP TOLD HER THAT THE CABLES BREAK ON THE DUTCHMEN CABLES 'ALL THE TIME...I WORK ON THEM ALL THE TIME." WHEN MY WIFE ASKED IF HE WAS CONCERNED AS SHE WAS ABOUT THE CABLE BREAKING, THE REP REPLIED, "I HAVE ONLY HAD ONE CABLE BREAK ON ME AND IT WAS DUE TO LACK OF MATIENCE". WHEN MY WIFE ASKED WHY HE KNEW THAT OUR CABLE HAD BROKEN BECAUSE OF LACK OF MATIENCE WHEN HE HAD ONLY WORKED ON ONE BEFORE, AND HAD YET TO SEE OURS, THE REP REPLIED, "THEY BREAK ALL THE TIME AND WHEN THEY DO IT IS ALWAYS BECAUSE OF LACK OF MATIENCE". THE REP AT RV AMERICA THEN EXPLAINED TO MY WIFE THAT NEITHER THE CABLE NOR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE CABLE BREAKING WERE UNDER WARRANTY. WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM DUTCHMEN CORP IN GOSHEN IN, UPON BEING INFORMED THAT WE HAD FILED A COMPLAINT WITH D.O.T., THE DUTCHMEN CORP SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR US TO BRING THE DUTCHMEN IN TO BE INSPECTED...NOW CLAIMING THAT THE SNAPPED CABLE AND DAMAGE WERE UNDER WARRANTY...AND ALSO CLAIMED THAT RV AMERICA WAS WRONG IN STATING THAT THE CABLE ON THE DUTCHMEN WAS KNOWN TO BREAK. SHOULD I TAKE THE DUTCHMEN CAMPER INTO DUTCHMEN TO BE INSPECTED...WHEN I FEEL THAT THIS CABLE SHOULD BE INSPECTED BY D.O.T. BECAUSE THIS IS DANGEROUS?
- NHTSA ID
- 10025581
- Incident
- Jul 2, 2003
Body & structure
Filed Jul 4, 2003
CABLE FOR LIFT SYSTEM ON DUTCHMEN CAMPER SNAPPED WHILE RAISING CAMPER. CAP WEIGHS 500 POUNDS & WAS 4 FEET IN THE AIR WHEN CABLE SNAPPED. THIS IS A SAFTEY ISSUE, AS YOUR HANDS HAVE TO BE UNDER CAP WHILE IT IS BEING RAISED/LOWERED TO TUCK IN/PULL OUT FABRIC OF CAMPER...AND ALSO WHY INSTALLING COVERS FOR SUPPORT BRACKETS. IN OTHER WORDS, IF THE CABLE SNAPS YOU HAVE 500 POUNDS OF CAP COMING DOWN ON YOUR HANDS...WHICH COULD BE SEVERED BECAUSE THERE IS A METAL ON THE CAP AND THE CAMPER EDGE WHERE THE CAP AND CAMPER BODY MEET. CAP CAME DOWN SO HARD AFTER CABLE SNAPPED, THAT THE CAMPER CAP WAS RUINED. ALSO, I INSPECTED THE CABLE AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS SHREDDED FROM RUBBING AGAINST SOMTHING IN THE LIFT SYSTEM EVERY TIME CAMPER WAS LOWERED AND RAISED. THE CAMPER IS EIGHT YEARS OLD AND I HAVE USED THE CAMPER (RAISED AND LOWERED IT) LESS THAN A DOZEN TIMES. AFTER THIS ACCIDENT, I WENT THROUGH MY OWNER'S MANUAL AND FOUND NOTHING IN THERE REGARDING MATIENCE OF THE CABLE LIFT SYSTEM, OR WHAT TO DO IF THE LIFT/CABLE SYSTEM FAILS. I HAVE OWNED CAMPERS BEFORE I PURCHASED THIS DUTCHMEN CAMPER AND HAVE NEVER HAD OR HEARD OF THE CABLE SNAPPING ON THE LIFT SYSTEM...THIS IS DANGEROUS!*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10025422
- Incident
- Jul 3, 2003
Other / unspecified
Filed Jul 16, 2002
POP UP TRAILOR WAS FULLY CRANKED UP WHEN IT COLLAPSED, CAUSING THE CABLE TO BREAK.*AK *JB
- NHTSA ID
- 8013969
- Incident
- Jul 5, 2002
Body & structurePowertrain (other)Tires & wheels
Filed Oct 1, 1998
REAR AXLE AND THE TIRES ARE NOT RATED HIGH ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE TRAILER. OWNER CONTINUES TO HAVE BLOW OUTS BECAUSE OF THIS. DEALER/MANUFACTURE ADMIT THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW. *AK THE ORIGINAL ROOF ON THE TRAILER WAS NOT PROPERLY SEALED ON TOP WHICH ALLOWED MOISTER TO GATHER IN THE ROOF AND CREATE A ROOF THAT WAS FAR TO HEAVY FOR THE CABLE SYSTEM TO LIFT. *YH
- NHTSA ID
- 828466
- Incident
- Jul 31, 1997
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.