NHTSA Complaint #10242346 — 2007 TIFFIN ALLEGRO BUS

WE PURCHASED AN ALLEGRO BUS WITH SPARTAN CHASSIS AND FACTORY INSTALLED PUTNAM HITCH. WE WERE HAULING OUR HORSE TRAILER HOME FROM A HORSE SHOW IN OKLAHOMA WHEN WE HAPPENED TO STOP AT A TRUCK STOP IN ST. LOUIS. THE TRAILER WAS WITHIN WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TRAILER AS WELL AS TONGUE WEIGHT. UPON STOPPING, WE NOTICED THAT THE PUTNAM HITCH WAS DETACHING FROM THE CHASSIS DUE TO THE FRACTURING OF THE METAL IN THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE MOTOR HOME. HAD WE TRAVELED MUCH FURTHER, WE WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY LOST THE TRAILER AS WELL AS THE 2 SHOW HORSES ON BOARD. AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE, WE HAD TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TRANSPORT OF OUR HORSES BACK TO OUR FACILITY IN OHIO. IN ADDITION, WE HAD TO HAVE THE TRAILER TOWED TO A SECURE SITE AND A WELDER REPAIR THE HITCH THE NEXT DAY IN ORDER FOR THE TRAILER TO BE HAULED SAFELY BACK HOME. THE WELDER WHO RESPONDED TO OUR CALL, ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE HAD REPAIRED ANOTHER BUS THE SAME EVENING WITH THE SAME OCCURRENCE ONLY THE TRAILER CAME OFF THAT MOTOR HOME. THE NEXT DAY I NOTIFIED THE CHASIS, MOTORHOME AND HITCH COMPANIES AND SENT PICTURES OF THE FAILURE. BOTH THE CHASIS AND MOTORHOME COMPANIES WERE RECEPTIVE TO MY CONCERN BUT THE HITCH COMPANY FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS. FINALLY THEY RESPONDED, AFTER 2 MONTHS, BUT ARE REFUSING TO REIMBURSE US FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE HITCH. IT HAD BEEN CONFIRMED THAT THE PUTNAM HITCH WAS AWARE THAT MANY HITCHES WERE INSTALLED IMPROPERLY-NOT ONLY OURS BUT MANY OTHERS-A BRACE BAR WAS OMITTED-YET THEY ARE IGNORING MY REQUESTS FOR MY OUT OF POCKET REPAIR COSTS. WITHOUT REPAIRS IN ST. LOUIS, THE HITCH WAS UNUSABLE. THE ISSUE IS WITH THE HITCH COMPANY-PUTNAM HITCH AND THEIR LACK OF CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF THOSE WHO USE THEIR PRODUCTS AS APPLIED TO THE CHASSIS OF MOTOR HOMES. *TR