2002 Fleetwood Prowler

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON ODI'S RECEIPT OF A CONGRESSIONAL LETTER ON BEHALF OF A CONSTITUENT.THE CONSTITUENT REPORTED INCIDENTS WHERE THE SLIDE OUT ROOM OF HIS MOTOR HOME WOULD INADVERTENTLY MOVE (EXTEND) DURING HIGHWAY USE.ODI WAS CONCERNED THAT A FULLY EXTENDED SLIDE OUT WOULD DEGRADE THE VEHICLE'S DYNAMIC HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS AND/OR POSSIBLY IMPACT AN OBJECT OR ANOTHER VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A CRASH.ODI CONTACTED FLEETWOOD AND DISCOVERED THAT SLIDE OUT ROOMS WERE INSTALLED IN MOTOR HOMES, TRAVEL TRAILERS AND FOLDING TRAILERS. AS PART OF THE INVESTIGATION ODI VISITED A RV SHOW AND THE FLEETWOOD PAXINOS PLANT TO EXAMINE SLIDE OUTS IN VARIOUS NEW MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLES AND GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE SYSTEMS WORK.DURING THE INVESTIGATION ODI LEARNED THAT THERE ARE TWO METHODS USED TO EXTEND SLIDE OUT ROOMS.SOME MANUFACTURERS USE HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS AND OTHERS, SUCH AS FLEETWOOD, USE AN ELECTRIC MOTOR. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)

FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES DETERMINED THAT THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS HAD BEEN INADEQUATELY TORQUED IN FIFTH WHEEL AND TRAVEL TRAILERS BUILT WITH ALUMINUM WHEELS SINCE JUNE 2002.FLEETWOOD ALERTEDOWNERS VIA A CUSTOMER ADVISORY NOTICE IN APRIL AND MAY OF 2003.ON OCTOBER 29, 2003, FLEETWOOD MADE A DEFECT DETERMINATION AND RENOTIFIED OWNERS. IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INVESTIGATION, FLEETWOOD PROVIDED CERTAIN PRELIMINARY INFORMATION TO ODI, BUT THIS INFORMATION DOES NOT ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN THE REASON(S) FOR WHEEL SEPARATIONS, AND ODI CONTINUES TO BE CONCERNED THAT THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS MAY NOT COMPLETELY ADDRESS THE ISSUE. FLEETWOOD'S CAMPAIGN DIRECTIVE REQUESTED THAT OWNERS RE-TORQUE THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS.ALTHOUGH RE-TORQUING IS CONSISTENT WITH GOOD MAINTENANCE PRACTICE, ODI IS CONCERNED THAT THE NEED TO FREQUENTLY RE-TORQUE THE WHEEL MOUNTING NUTS MAY BE INDICATIVE OF UNDERLYING DESIGN, ASSEMBLY, OR APPLICATION ISSUES THAT COULD AFFECT THE RETENTION INTEGRITY OF THE WHEEL MOUNTING SYSTEM.ALTHOUGH FLEETWOOD HAS ADVISED ODI THAT NO ADDITIONAL WHEEL SEPARATIONS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THEIR OCTOBER 29, 2003 DEFECT REPORT AND ASSOCIATED OWNER NOTIFICATION, ODI WILL OPEN AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE ISSUES THAT MAY BE CONTRIBUTING TO WHEEL SEPARATIONS IN FLEETWOOD VEHICLES.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 PROWLER TRAILER. THE VEHICLE HAS A DOMETIC REFRIGERATOR, MODEL RM2652. IN AUGUST OF 2008, THE COOLING SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING IN THE REFRIGERATOR AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT LEARNED OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBERS 08E032000 AND 06E076000 (EQUIPMENT); HOWEVER, HE NEVER RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICES. HE CALLED DOMETIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALLS APPLY TO HIS REFRIGERATOR. THE CONTACT HAS ATTEMPTED TO REACH DOMETIC ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. UPDATED 10/07/08. *LJ THERE WAS YELLOW RESIDUE ON THE BACK OF THE REFRIGERATOR. UPDATED 10/08/08. *JB

NHTSA ID

10241090

Incident

Aug 13, 2008

CONSUMER DISCOVERED SEVERAL CRACKS IN THE TRAILER FRAME AND HAD IT WELDED A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT IT KEEPS BREAKING. *NJ DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED CRACKS IN THE TRAILER FRAME AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS. CRACKS WERE DISCOVERED AT THE LEFT REAR AXLE MOUNTING POINT TO THE BOTTOM FLANGE OF THE I-BEAM ALSO IN THE WEB OF THE I-BEAM FRAME ADJACENT TO THE WELDS ATTACHING THE BODY TO THE FRAME SUPPORT BRACKETS. THE CRACKS WERE VISIBLE AND VERIFIED BY DYE PENETRANT INSPECTION. THE TRAILER HAS LESS THAN 10,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN IN USE LESS THAN A YEAR. IT HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY ACCIDENTS THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE OF THIS MAGNITUDE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT THE PROBLEM, BUT WAS REFERRED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THE DEALER MUST INITIATE ACTION. *JB

NHTSA ID

10236108

Incident

Jun 1, 2005

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FLEETWOOD PROWLER. THE VEHICLE HAS A DOMETIC REFRIGERATOR, MODEL RM2652. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06E076000 (EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE). HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER TWO YEARS AGO AND WAS REFERRED TO A DEALER THAT COULD REPAIR THE REFRIGERATOR; HOWEVER, THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THEY HAD TOO MANY REFRIGERATORS TO REPAIR. THE CONTACT CONSULTED THE MANUFACTURER AGAIN AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH HIM, BUT NEVER DID. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AGAIN IN APRIL OF 2008, AND WAS REFERRED TO ANOTHER DEALER. THE DEALER REFUSED TO ASSIST BECAUSE THE CONTACT HAD WARRANTIES TO ADDRESS. HE NOTICED THAT THE REFRIGERATOR STOPPED WORKING AND WAS LEAKING AMMONIA WITH A STRONG ODOR. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER REPAIRING THE REFRIGERATORS AS OF APRIL OF 2008. THE VIN, FAILURE MILEAGE, PURCHASE DATE, AND PART NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

10232368

Incident

Jun 25, 2008

DURING ROUTINE MAINTAINENCE, I DISCOVERED NUMEROUS CRACKS IN TRAILER FRAME AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS. CRACKS WERE DISCOVERED AT THE LEFT REAR AXLE MOUNTING POINT TO THE BOTTOM FLANGE OF THE I-BEAM FRAME ALSO IN THE WEB OF THE I-BEAM FRAME A DJACENT TO THE WELDS ATTACHING THE BODY TO FRAME SUPPORT BRACKETS. THESE CRACKS WERE VISIBLE AND VERIFIED BY DYE PENETRANT INSPECTION. THE TRAILER HAS LESS THAM 10K MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN IN ACTUAL USE LESS THAN 1 YEAR. IT HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY INCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE OF THIS SORT. I CALLED THE DEALER REGARDING THIS PROBLEM ,HE REFERED ME TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THE DEALER MUST INITIATE ANY ACTION. IT IS MY CONCERN THESE CRACKS WILL PROPAGATE RAPIDLY AND CAUSE CATASTROPIC FAILURE. SHOULD THIS OCCOUR, A HIGH PROBABILITY OF NUMEROUS FATALITIES IS POSSIBLE.

NHTSA ID

10124024

Incident

Jun 1, 2005

AXLE SPRING HANGER BROKE, LOOSE FROM I-BEAM FRAME. PART OF STEEL FROM BEAM BROKE AWAY. *BF THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE STEEL IS WEAK OR IS TOO LIGHT FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE RV. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE NOR DID THE TRAILER HIT ANYTHING. THE FAILURE WAS DISCOVERED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. *NM

NHTSA ID

10097565

Incident

Oct 1, 2004

ALL THE DEALERSHIPS ON THE MICROWAVE OVEN/CIRCUIT RECALL 03E044000 LIST REFUSED TO HONOR THE RECALL, PER CONSUMER. ONE OF THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THEY DID NOT SERVICE THE AREA WHE CONSUMER LIVED. TRAILER'S SERIAL #710T1013896M.*AK

NHTSA ID

10048190

COMPLAINT REGARDING PROBLEMS WITH PROWLER LS. *MR THE VEHICLE WAS NOT BALANCED AND THE DOOR DID NOT SHUT. THEN ABOUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS LATER A PUDDLE OF WATER WAS NOTICED ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR. A REPAIR MAN FOUND A DEFECTIVE PLASTIC PIECE ON THE WATER HEATER AS IT WAS BEING INSPECTED. *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10044598

CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING AND WITH NO WARNING, THE LEFT AXLE SNAPPED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL BACKWARDS. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK (ABNORMAL PLACEMENT AND FUNCTION OF THE WHEELS). THE METAL TORE THE FRAME. THE AXLE DID NOT SNAP. THE HANGER THAT HELD THE SPRING AND AXLE TOGETHER HAD NEARLY TORE THE FRAME AND CAUSED THE REAR AXLE TO MOVE OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THIS HAD TORE THE WELD ON THE HANGER TO 1/4 INCH OF BREAKING ALL THE WAY THOUGH. A WELDER SAID THE MATERIAL WAS TOO SKIMPY. *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10031489

Incident

Jul 21, 2003