NHTSA Complaint #10037083 — 1995 DUTCHMAN 1203

LIFT SYSTEM CABLE SNAPPED ON DUTCHMEN CAMPER WHILE CAP WAS BEING RAISED. NEITHER DUTCHMEN CORP OR RV AMERICA (WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAMPER) WANTED TO ASSIST ME. WHEN I CONTACTED DUTCHMEN WARRANTY, THEY AGREED TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY CAMPER.*AK DURING THE INSPECTION BY DUTCHMEN WARRANTY, I WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS 50% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CABLE SNAPPING...AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS 50% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CABLE SNAPPING...AND THAT DUTCHMEN WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE. DUTCHMEN INFORMED ME THAT THE GOVERNMENT NO LONGER ALLOWS DUTCHMEN TO USE THE QUALITY OF SEAL REQUIRED TO PROPERLY SEAL THE CAP...AND THEREFORE, THE OWNER MUST REMOVE THE CAP SEAL EACH YEAR AND REPLACE THE SEAL. I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ON THE SEAL, THAT A CAMPER REQUIRES MORE MAINTANCE THAN A CAR DOES. DUTCHMEN WARRANTY REP INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE I DID NOT REPLACE THE CAP SEAL, THAT IT HAD ALLOWED WATER TO ENTER INTO THE WOOD OF THE CAP..AND THE CAP ABSORBED THE WATER AND THUS WEIGHTED FIVE TIMES MORE THAN IT SHOULD HAVE AND THUS CAUSED THE CABLE TO SNAP. DUTCHMEN DID AGREE TO FIX AT NO COST THE CAP, CABLE AND CABLE LIFT SYSTEM. WHEN THE CAMPER WAS RETURNED TO US, WE NOTED THAT DUTCHMEN USED A DIFFERENT SEAL ON THE CAP THAN HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN ON THE CAP...INDICATING THAT THE ORIGINAL CAP SEAL HAD BEEN DEFECTIVE. WHILE SEARCHING YOUR SITE FOR COMPLAINTS FILED ON DUTCHMEN CAMPERS, I NOTED THAT ODI ID NUMBER 554622 FOR A 1994 DUTCHMEN CAMPER STATED: "CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY DEALER THAT THE CAULKING MATERIAL LEAKS ALLOWING WATER TO PENETRATE INTO THE WOOD POSSIBLY CAUSING THE TOP TO COLLAPSE, DEALER SAID A WARRANTY REPAIR NOTICE WAS SENT, BUT CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED SUCH NOTICE."