2011 Gulf Stream Vista Cruiser

AFTER 6000 MILES OF USE, THE TIRE MOUNTED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE REAR AXLE (UNIT IS A TRAVEL TRAILER WITH 2 AXLES - FORE AND AFT) WAS NEAR BALD FROM THE CENTER INWARD. THE REMAINING 3 TIRES ON THE UNIT WERE WEARING NORMALLY, HAVING AT LEAST TWO-THIRDS TREAD LIFE REMAINING. AFTER DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM AS A BENT AXLE, THE SELLING DEALER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, GULFSTREAM COACH OF NAPPANEE, INDIANA. THE DEALER WAS ADVISED THAT THE AXLE MUST HAVE BEEN BENT DURING USE AND GULFSTREAM WOULD NOT REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY. THE AXLE WAS MANUFACTURED BY LIPPERT COMPONENTS OF GOSHEN, INDIANA. WE WERE QUITE CERTAIN THAT WE DID NOT CAUSE THE AXLE TO BE BENT, BUT WERE UNABLE TO PROVE THIS (HOW COULD WE?). THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS AGAINST THIS LIPPERT AXLE AS USED ON GULFSTREAM VISA TRAILERS POSTED ON VARIOUS FORUMS (EXAMPLE - HTTP://WWW.GSOWNERS.COM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=4&T=3444). WE CONTEND THAT THESE AXLES WERE MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY, AND THAT LIPPERT SHOULD AGREE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THEM UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10483586

Incident

Aug 15, 2012

Mileage

6,000 mi

WE PURCHASED THE CAMPER MARCH 15, 2011 AND HAD BEEN USING IT FOR A WHILE AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER, BECAUSE I FELT THERE WAS TIRE WEAR ON THE INSIDE EDGE AND WE WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY OVER-LOADED. SO WE TOOK IT HOME AND REMOVED SOME ITEMS THAT WE COULD LIVE WITHOUT AND CONTINUED TO USE IT. ON A TRIP TO FLORIDA, WE HAD A TIRE BLOW OUT ON -95 IN GEORGIA ON JAN 19, 2012. WE HAD THE TIRE CHANGED AND CONTINUED OUR TRIP. WHEN WE ARRIVED HOME, I CHECKED THE TIRES AND FOUND BOTH OF THE TIRES ON THE CAMPER WERE WORN ON THE INSIDE, SO I TOOK THE CAMPER TO A LOCAL TIRE STORE AND HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON ALL THREE WHEELS, INCLUDING THE SPARE, AS THE TIRE STORE FELT THE PROBLEM COULD BE QUALITY OF TIRES. SO, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, WE TOOK A TRIP TO PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AND WHEN WE ARRIVED HOME, I FOUND THE TIRE WEARING ON THE INSIDE AGAIN. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND TOOK THE CAMPER TO THEM, WHERE THEY INSPECTED IT AND WEIGHED IT AND FOUND THE TRAILER WEIGHT WAS FINE, BUT THE CAMPER MANUFACTURER AND THE AXLE MANUFACTURER SAID THE AXLE WAS BEYOND THE WARRANTY DATE. SO, WE HAD THE AXLE REPLACE OURSELVES. I AM PICKING THE CAMPER UP ON SATURDAY. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE COST WILL BE AS OF NOW. IN THE MEAN TIME, I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND FOUND A WEBSITE SITE AND IF YOU CHECK TRAVEL TRAILER YOU WILL FIND A NUMBER OF VISA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WE HAVE BEEN HAVING...UPDATED 09-19-12 *BF

NHTSA ID

10476301

Incident

Jan 19, 2012

Mileage

3,200 mi

I WAS TRAVELING EAST-BOUND ON I-90 IN NORTHEAST OHIO IN A VERY HEAVY RAIN, PULLING MY 2011 SINGLE-AXEL GULF STREAM VISA RSD TRAILER WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE TRAILER TIRE BLEW OUT. WHEN I CLIMBED UNDERNEATH THE TRAILER, I DISCOVERED THAT THE INSIDE PORTION OF THE BLOWN OUT TIRE WAS COMPLETELY WORN DOWN TO THE STEEL THREAD. I THEN NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE TRAILER TIRE WAS WORN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. I ESTIMATE THAT THE TRAILER / TIRES HAD 7,000 MILES MAX AT THE TIME. SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS OF THIS TRAILER HAVE REPORTED THE SAME EXACT ISSUE AND WERE DIAGNOSED WITH BENT AXLES. SEEHTTP://GSOWNERS.COM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=4&T=3109&P=15362#WRAP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10439282

Incident

Oct 16, 2011

Mileage

7,000 mi

YOUR SITE WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO SELECT CORRECT MAKE AND MODEL WHICH IS LISTED BELOW. THE TRAILER BRAKES DID NOT WORK ON NEWLY PURCHASED 2011 VISA GULF STREAM TRAVEL TRAILER PRIOR TO LEAVING 83 RV DEALER WITH THE TRAILER ON MARCH 23 2010. DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS OUR TOW VEHICLE CAUSING PROBLEM AND SAID IT WAS OK FOR US TO LEAVE WITH TRAILER BRAKES NOT WORKING. AFTER GOING THROUGH ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM BY OURSELVES, WE FOUND THE MAIN ELECTRIC BRAKE WIRE WAS PINCHED IN THE RIGHT SIDE AXEL FLANGE AT THE FACTORY CAUSING THE TRAILER BRAKES NOT TO WORK. HAD TO REMOVE ONE FLANGE BOLT TO RELEASE WIRE, CUT OUT SMASHED WIRE AREA AND SPLICE IN A NEW SECTION OF WIRE. TRAILER BRAKES THEN WORKED. ON MARCH 27, AFTER PULLING 2011 VISA GULF STREAM 500 MILES ON FIRST TRIP IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, UPON REACHING DESTINATION, FOUND A BIG HOLE WORN THROUGH FRONT OF RIGHT PLASTIC WHEEL WELL WHICH LEFT AN OPENING DIRECTLY INTO CABINETRY INSIDE OF TRAILER (CABINET WAS EMPTY WHILE TRAVELING.) HOLE WAS CAUSED BY TIRE HITTING AND RUBBING ON WHEEL WELL DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO TRAVEL TRAILER AND MAY EVENTUAL CAUSE A TIRE BLOW OUT. REMOVED RIGHT WHEEL WELL AND TOOK TO D & N CAMPER SALES IN MEMPHIS WHICH WAS RECOMMENDED BY GULF STREAM. D & N CAMPER SALES REPAIRMAN SPOKE VIA PHONE WITH GULF STREAM AND SOLD US $15 WORTH OF BLACK UNDERCOATING TAPE SO THAT WE COULD SEAL HOLE IN WHEEL WELL OURSELVES FOR RETURN DRIVE HOME. IN LOOKING AT TRAILER, IT APPEARS THAT WHEEL WELL IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH OR CENTERED CAUSING WHEEL TO HIT WELL IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. ALSO APPEARS THE PLASTIC WHEEL WELL EITHER DIDN'T FIT PROPERLY OR WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY AND WAS 'FIXED' BY USING GLOBS OF BLACK SILICONE SEALANT TO FILL THE SPACES. FRONT OF LEFT WHEEL WELL IS ALSO SHOWING RUB MARKS FROM TIRE. CONCERNED THAT SIDE WALLS OF TRAVEL TRAILER ARE BEING DAMAGED BY WHEEL RUBBING OR HITTING WELL. ALSO CONCERNED THAT CONTINUED RUBBING WILL CAUSE TIRE BLOW OUT

NHTSA ID

10325250

Incident

Mar 27, 2010

Mileage

500 mi