NHTSA Complaint #11524154 — 2020 FOREST RIVER GEORGETOWN

Two owners of Forest River Georgetown Class A motorhomes, one a 2020 model year and one a 2022 model year, reported on a forum that one of the two brackets holding their 24.5 gallon water capacity ASME propane tank in place had its tack welds break, allowing one end of the tank to drop so far it was visible by passing cars. Both reported they were flagged down by people passing them. (The end of the propane tank likely was bouncing up and down on the remaining bracket.) Both used a strap to hold the tank in place until the bracket could be re-welded. Both reported that the repair shop then installed two bolts through the front and rear bracket to help hold the tank in place if the welds broke again. Neither owner took a picture of the propane tank hanging down so the attached pictures show their brackets after the repair. 24.5 gallons water capacity is about 19.6 actual gallons of propane at 80%. On my motorhome a visual inspection of the affected brackets did not reveal cracked welds but did show that the front bracket on the propane tank itself was installed slightly off and the inner edge of the front tank bracket is against a welded corner of the bracket instead of flat against the front frame bracket. Light is visible in the gap between the tank mounting bracket and the frame mounting bracket. If other tanks are like this it could mean that the upward pressure from tightening the inner tank mounting bolt applied stress to the welded bracket where there should not have been any. (The approximate date of those two failures is unknown however the 2022 model year owner reported they had the repair covered under warranty. I thus selected today's date because the form field has a date as mandatory.) (I had to select Aftermarket Equipment as BAL OTHER because "OTHER" was not allowed. I do not know who installs the propane tank mounting structure. It could either be the final vehicle manufacturer or the third-party upfitter they use for similar work.)