NHTSA Complaint #10374033 — 2005 KEYSTONE LAREDO

WHILE TRAVELING IN THE US, I NOTICED EXCESSIVE FLEXING OF PINBOX OF FIFTHWHEEL TRAILER WHILE TOWING. VISIBLE UP-AND-DOWN MOVEMENT OF PINBOX FRAME RELATIVE TO THE FRONT STRUCTURE OF THE TRAILER. UPON INSPECTION, SEVERAL CRACKS AND TEARS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE METAL OF THE TUBULAR CROSSMEMBERS ADJACENT TO THE WELDS WHERE THE PINBOX WAS ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE CRACKS WERE SPREADING, AND WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE PINBOX FROM THE TRAILER, AND RESULTANT SEPARATION OF THE TRAILER FROM THE TOW VEHICLE. I CONTACTED KEYSTONE, THE RV MANUFACTURER, AND SUPPLIED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CRACKING. THEY EVENTUALLY DENIED RESPONSIBILITY, SAYING THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND SUGGESTED I CONTACT THE FRAME SUBCONTRACTOR, LIPPERT. I CHOSE TO GET THE FRAME REPAIRED AT A FRAME WELDING FACILITY AT MY EXPENSE, AS WE HAD TO TRAVEL HOME WITH THE RAP FROM FLORIDA TO ONTARIO. PHOTOGRAPHS AND COPIES OF EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE ARE AVAILABLE IF REQUIRED. THE RESULT OF A COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE FRAME/PIMPS WOULD OBVIOUSLY HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC, ESPECIALLY IF IT OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. *TR