2007 Keystone Montana Problems

THE FIRST SET OF TIRES FREESTAR RADIAL S/T 235/80/16 LOAD RANGE E WERE REPLACED BY MISSION TIRE AFTER 3280 MILE BECAUSE OF SIDEWALL FAILURE, THE TIRES SENT TO REPLACE THE BAD ONES LASTED 1680 MILES. THEY HAVE TREAD SEPARATION AND WALL RUPTURE. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO RECOUP MY TIRE COST. THESE TIRES ARE VERY UNSAFE FOR HIGHWAY USE,BECAUSE OF BLOWOUT OR TREAD LOSS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NO ONE WAS INJURED BECAUSE OF THE TIRE PROBLEMS BUT VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEEN. SEVEN OF THE EIGHT TIRE I HAVE HAD WERE A DEATH TRAP IN MY OPINION AND I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER TIRE MANUFACTURED BY NANKANG OR SOLD THROUGH MISSION TIRE. THE TIRES IN THIS COMPLAINT ARE ALL TIRES ON THE TRAILER TANDEM AXEL FRONT AND REAR. IF THERE HAD BEEN A BLOWOUT BECAUSE OF THESE TIRES THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE OR EVEN DEATH COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD POSSIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE HIGHWAY SPEED. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA 5TH WHEEL RV THAT CAME WITH FOUR MISSION TIRES, WHICH ARE SOLD BY TIRECO IN GEORGIA. ON AUGUST 29, 2009, I WAS DRIVING MY 5TH WHEEL CAMPER ON THE RT. 50 CHOPTANK RIVER BRIDGE95. THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE, OF MY MONTANA RV, DELAMINATED WHILE DRIVING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. THIS TIRE FAILURE CAUSED APPROXIMATELY $2200 DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO MY MONTANA. THE ERIE INSURANCE COMPANY TOOK PICTURES OF THE TIRE AND TOOK CUSTODY OF THE MISSION TIRE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT BECKELYS RV SHOP LOOKED AT THE 2 REMAINING ORIGINAL MISSION TIRES AND THE TREAD ON ONE IS APPROXIMATELY 90 % SEPARATED AND THE OTHER IN ABOUT 75% SEPARATED AT THIS TIME. NOTE: THE MISSION BRAND TIRE WAS NOT IN THE DROP DOWN MENU FOR TIRES, SO I PICKED AGWAY G7014 AS MY CHOICE, BUT THE ACTUAL TIRE WAS A MISSION TIRE. PLEASE ADD MISSION TIRE AS A CHOICE IN THE DROP DOWN MENU. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA FIFTH WHEEL WITH BAL "C" JACKS (NORCO INDUSTRIES) ON THE REAR FRAME. WHILE TRAILERING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA I WAS SIGNALED TO PULL OVER BY ANOTHER DRIVER. WHEN I DID, I NOTICED THE BOTH C JACK WERE DRAGGING ON THE PAVEMENT. IT WAS NOT THE PEDESTAL END OF THE JACKS BUT THE ENDS TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE TRAILER AND THE T BRACKETS BRACKETS WERE BENT. I HAD TO REMOVE BOTH JACKS TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO MY HOME IN ARIZONA. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE JACKS AND I DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SUPPORT CHANNEL THAT WAS MISSING. I PURCHASED THE NECESSARY PARTS THROUGH A DEALER AND INSTALLED THEM MYSELF. APPARENTLY THE SUPPORT CHANNEL FELL OUT SOMEWHERE ON THE FREEWAY, I KNOW NOT WHERE. ACCORDING TO THE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE JACKS, THE SUPPORT CHANNEL SHOULD BE WELDED OR SECURED BY SCREW. IT WAS NOT. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF A SCREW EVER BEING PRESENT. I HAVE SINCE MET TWO OTHER MONTANA OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME C JACK SYSTEM AND THEIR SUPPORT CHANNELS ARE STILL PRESENT BUT NOT SECURED. ONE WAS WITHIN AN INCH OF FALLING OFF! I CALLED KEYSTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE IN AUGUST AND RELAYED THE INFORMATION TO THEM. TO MY SURPRISE THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO CARE ABOUT THE INCIDENT. I SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS A POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS IF SOMEONE WAS HIT BY OR RAN OVER A SUPPORT CHANNEL WHICH COULD FALL ONTO THE ROADWAY. IT DIDN'T PHASE THEM AND SINCE THE 5TH WHEEL WAS ALMOST 4 YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I DON'T CARE THAT THEY WOULDN'T HELP ME WITH PARTS OR LABOR, I FIXED IT MYSELF WITH ABOUT $20 WORTH OF PARTS AND MY OWN LABOR TIME. I FIND IT ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE THAT THEY WON'T ADMIT THAT THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR METHOD OF INSTALLING THE JACKS. SOMEONE SHOULD GET THE WORD OUT! *KB

WHILE HOOKING UP FIFTH WHEEL RV TO TOW VEHICLE VIA ELECTRICAL UMBILICAL CORD A SEVERE SHORT OCCURRED CAUSING EXTENSIVE WIRING DAMAGE INSIDE THE FIFTH WHEEL RV. THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY INADVERTENTLY INSERTING UMBILICAL CORD PLUG FROM FIFTH WHEEL INTO RECEPTACLE ON TOW VEHICLE 180 DEGREES OUT OF PHASE. EVEN THOUGH PLUG AND RECEPTACLE ARE KEYED TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE TO PLUG IT IN INCORRECTLY. THIS CAUSED THE BATTERY CHARGE WIRE FROM FIFTH WHEEL TO BE APPLIED DIRECTLY TO THE GROUND OF THE TOW VEHICLE AND CAUSED SEVERE MELTING OF INSULATION, RED HOT WIRE, AND LOTS OF SMOKE. THERE APPARENTLY IS NO SAFETY DEVICE, IE., FUSE OR FUSIBLE LINK PROVIDED BY THE MFG OF THE FIFTH WHEEL TO PREVENT THIS DAMAGE FROM HAPPENING IN CASE BATTERY CHARGE WIRE CONTACTS GROUND IN ANY FASHION, SUCH AS INADVERTENTLY INSTALLING UMBILICAL CORD PLUG INTO RECEPTACLE ON TOW VEHICLE UPSIDE DOWN. *TR

TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA 3400RL (JANUARY 11, 2007) THAT IS STAMPED WITH A GAWR OF 7,000 LBS AND GVWR 15,500 LBS. THE FACTORY TREDIT T6 WHEELS HAVE A CASTING STAMP OF 3,042, BUT A STICKER ON THE RIM INDICATING 3,750 LBS @ 110 PSI. (AT LEAST 3,500 LBS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MEET THE GAWR AND GVWR). WHEN WE REPLACED TIRES IN 2008, THE TIRE DEALER SAID THE STICKER LOOKED SUSPICIOUS AND REQUESTED THE RATING FOR THE T6 WHEEL TO BE IN WRITING FROM TREDIT. WE OBTAINED THAT VERIFICATION IN THE FORM OF AN EMAIL FROM TREDIT IN 2008, WHICH WE HAVE. WE AGAIN NEED TO REPLACE THE TIRES AND WE REQUESTED VERIFICATION IN WRITING FROM TREDIT, HOWEVER THIS TIME WE LEARN VIA EMAIL FROM TREDIT THAT THE RATING ON THE STICKER HAS BEEN RESCINDED AS THAT WHEEL NEVER ACTUALLY PASSED THE LOAD TEST. WITHOUT THE STICKER RATING, OUR STAMPED 3,042 WHEELS ARE 500LBS UNDER-RATED FOR THE LOAD, OR 2,000 LBS OVERLOADED FOR THE GVWR AS DELIVERED FROM THE FACTORY, NOT TO MENTION THAT THE FACTORY TIRES EXCEEDED THE LOAD CAPACITY ON THE WHEELS AS WELL. THERE WERE NO NOTIFICATIONS OR RECALLS RECEIVED ABOUT CHANGES IN THE WHEEL RATING, AND WE ARE ORIGINAL OWNERS. THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE DISCREPANCY ON THE KEYSTONE WEBSITE UNDER NOTIFICATIONS AND RECALLS, EVEN THOUGH THIS ISSUE EXTENDED THROUGH AT LEAST ONE MODEL YEAR, POSSIBLY TWO. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THE WAY THE STICKER WAS HANDLED. OUR MODEL MONTANA WAS BUILT WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH THAT KEYSTONE/MONTANA SWITCHED TO 7,000 LB CAPACITY AXLES, YET THE WHEELS WERE THE SAME TREDIT T6 USED SINCE 2005 ON THE 6,000 LB CAPACITY AXLES. I BELIEVE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES LEADING TO THE STICKERS TO ALLOW THE WHEELS TO MEET THE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY OF THE NEW AXLES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER. WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO-LANE ROAD AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT NOTICED PLASTIC AND METAL PIECES FLYING TOWARDS HER VEHICLE FROM UNDERNEATH THE PRECEDING TRAILER. THE REAR OF THE TRAILER BEGAN TO SWERVE AND WHIPPED AROUND AS IF IT WOULD TURN OVER. THE TRAILER CLIPPED A METAL POST ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND PREVENT HARM. A MECHANIC WAS SENT BY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CENTER SHACKLE PIN CAME OUT OF THE SPRINGS, WHICH CAUSED THE AXLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TO SWIPE BACK ON THE SPRING SHACKLE LEAF. CONSEQUENTLY, THE WHEEL WAS WEDGED UNDER THE WHEEL WELL, WHICH LED TO UNEXPECTED FAILURE. THE MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO HELP THE CONTACT GET THE TRAILER TO A SALES DEALER. HER HUSBAND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE BOLT AND NUT WHICH SEEMED TO ALSO LEAD TO THE AXLE FAILURE. SHE CONSULTED THE AXLE MANUFACTURER AND ASKED FOR A HEAVIER AXLE, BUT THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED. UPDATED 10/08/08. *LJ UPDATED 10/10/08. *JB