NHTSA Complaint #11492417 — 2021 ENTEGRA ESTEEM

The RV had been driven about 20,000 miles and had about 250 accumulated hours on the onboard ONAN 4000 generator. I performed an oil change and did a test run of the generator when I happened to notice major generator tail pipe movement particularly during the start operation but which also continued during normal run operations. So I began to investigate and discovered that the tail pipe suspension mount nearest the exhaust point had become separated from the body of the coach but was still attached to the exhaust pipe. The mount was attached with a single bolt into a blind hole in the body panel. The mount had a very long perforated steel blade which was fastened to the body at only one low location. When the mount became dislodged, the steel blade was moving around significantly causing major abrasion to the generator electrical power line. On further observation, I found shafing abrasions on the fuel line feeding the generator due to interference with cables, bolts and frame elements. So there was a bolt departure from the vehicle at some point and the tail pipe in time would have fatigued and broken off the vehicle. Concurrently, the power lines were being cut to the point that at some point it would have caused an electrical short with the possibility of an electrical fire. The fuel line may have ruptured at some point and caused a fuel related fire. The vibrating blade could have generated sparks to ignite the fuel. If the tail pipe had fatigued off with out notice, exhaust fumes would be released under the vehicle causing carbon monoxide poisoning. The combination of road hazards from departing components, potential electrical fires, potential fuel fires, and carbon monoxide poisoning makes this safety issue particularly dangerous and warrants a recall. I repaired issues cutting the excess blade length down, using silicone wear wraps, tie straps, electrical tape and reinstalling a fastener. Thread sealants should be used on a two bolt mount