[XXX] U.S. Army), Active-Duty Service Member (Stationed at Fort Knox, KY / Residing in Brandenburg, KY) I am reporting a severe structural manufacturing defect involving the room slide-out assembly on the driver-side flank of the vehicle body. Certified diagnostic testing and structural tolerance layouts executed by the component manufacturer, Lippert (LCI Case #[XXX]), and servicing dealership technicians (Camping World) have confirmed that the main slide-out housing and framing elements were installed, aligned, and integrated completely out of structural tolerance directly at the Thor Motor Coach assembly plant during production. This structural defect constitutes an uncorrectable manufacturing deviation. Because the slide-out mechanism is fundamentally misaligned within the main load-bearing sidewall of the motorhome, it repeatedly binds, undergoes severe component stress, and fails to close or seat flush against the secondary seals. Operating a 11,000lb+ commercial-chassis motorhome with a structurally out-of-tolerance slide-out housing introduces substantial safety hazards to public highways: Catastrophic Unintended Deployment: The mechanical stress and structural warping prevent the locking mechanisms and gear teeth from seating safely. Vibration at highway speeds risks structural latch failure, which could result in a partial or full unintended slide-out deployment while traveling at high speeds. Because the slide-out frame cannot close symmetrically, the structural integrity of the main driver-side wall is severely degraded. This creates asymmetrical aerodynamic drag and hazardous crosswind vulnerability, risking dynamic instability and potential vehicle roll-overs or lane-drift. In the event of an evasive driving maneuver, the shifting, misaligned mass of the slide-out can cause unpredictable chassis twisting and severe stability control failures, endangering my passengers and sharing motorists. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- NHTSA ID
- 11738587
- Incident
- Jul 10, 2023