WE PICKED UP OUR NEW RV MOTORHOME FROM OUR DEALER TWO WEEKS AGO AND PARKED IT BEHIND OUR HOUSE, A DISTANCE OF APPROX. 25 MILES. LAST WEEK WE BEGAN TO LOAD IT WITH SOME CLOTHING AND SUPPLIES SO WE COULD TAKE IT OUT ON A TEST RIDE IN A FEW WEEKS. WHILE DOING A CAREFUL CHECK OF THE RV I FOUND THAT THE POWER OUTPUT CABLE OF THE RV'S GENERATOR WAS LAYING DIRECTLY ON THE GENERATOR'S EXHAUST PIPE AND HAD MELTED OVER 3/4 THROUGH. WHEN I LIFTED THE CABLE OFF THE PIPE I COULD SEE HOW BADLY DAMAGED THE PROTECTIVE CABLE WAS AND EXPECTED THE INSULATION ON THE 30 AMP POWER WIRES MUST ALSO BE MELTED. IF THE GENERATOR HAD BEEN TURNED ON I BELIEVE, AT THE LEAST, IT WOULD HAVE STARTED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. WITH THE GASOLINE FUEL LINE AND THE PROPANE FUEL LINE FOR THE HOT WATER HEATER SO CLOSE BY IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN EXPLOSION. WHEN WE PICKED UP THIS RV THE GENERATOR HAD APPROX 60 HOURS OF RUN HOURS AND WE ONLY RAN IT A FEW MORE HOURS WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT HOME. WHEN I FOUND THIS HAZARDOUS CONDITION I TRIED TO CALL THE DEALER BUT IT WAS LATE AND THEY WERE CLOSED SO I CALLED THOR MOTOR COACH AND REPORTED THIS TO THE EMERGENCY SERVICE DEPARTMENT. FIRST THING NEXT MORNING I TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES OF THIS CONDITION, SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS, AND DROVE THE RV BACK TO THE DEALER, WITHOUT, OF COURSE, STARTING THE GENERATOR. I LEFT THEM A WRITEUP OF THIS CONDITION, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER RELATIVELY MINOR ISSUES, PLUS THE PHOTOS. I ALSO SENT THOR THESE PHOTOS. TO DATE I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM EITHER THOR OR THE DEALER.
- NHTSA ID
- 10852330
- Incident
- Mar 22, 2016
- Mileage
- 1,433 mi