NHTSA Complaint #10023325 — 1999 FLEETWOOD BOUNDER

WE OWN A 1999 FLEETWOOD BOUNDER 36S ON THE FORD F-53 CHASSIS. IT WAS ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH OUR GENERATOR FAILING TO START. I THOUGHT IT WAS A FAULTY FUEL PUMP. I REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. I TOOK THE MOTORHOME TO A DEALER (CAROLINA COACH & CAMPER IN HICKORY, NC). THEIR SERVICE DEPT. DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS A HOSE LEAK FROM THE PICK-UP TUBE IN THE GAS TANK TO THE GAS LINE TO THE GENERATOR. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THE PIECE OF HOSE WAS NOT THE BEST QUALITY AND THAT IT WAS INSTALLED WITH A SHARP "U" BEND WHICH STRETCHED THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOSE AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. MY WIFE HAS COMPLAINED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS OF SMELLING GAS WHEN THE BEDROOM WINDOW WAS OPEN. I CHECKED EACH TIME AND COULD NOT FIND ANY GAS ESCAPING. I FIGURED IT WAS PROBABLY A GAS VENT. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I HAD THE GENERATOR FAILURE THAT THE PROBLEM REALLY SURFACED. THE HOSE FINALLY CRACKED ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE FUEL PUMP TO LOSE ITS' PRIME. THE REASON I AM BRINGING THIS YOUR ATTENTION NOW IS THAT I READ OF SEVERAL BOUNDER'S BEING BURNED DUE TO A GAS LEAK FROM THE GENERATOR LINE IN THE "BOUNDER BEACON", A BOUNDER'S OF AMERICA NEWSLETTER. THE HOSE IN MY RV WAS LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. IT IS NOT AN EASY ITEM TO REPLACE AS THE GAS TANK HAS TO BE EMPTIED AND DROPPED TO GET AT IT. FLEETWOOD SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECALL ALL COACHES WITH THIS CONFIGURATION AND REPLACE THE HOSE WITH AUTOMOTIVE TYPE FUEL LINES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED FROM A POTENTIAL FIRE. *NLM