NHTSA Complaint #745755 — 2000 MONACO COACH MONACO

WHEN WE FIRST PURCHASED THE COACH, IT HAD APPROXIMATELY 8" OF FREE PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL, BEFORE IT HAD ANY EFFECT ON THE DIRECTION OF THE FRONT TIRES. MONACO SENT ME TO A LINEUP SHOP IN EUGENE OR BY THE NAME OF KAISER. THEY REPLACED THE STEERING GEAR BOX, EXPLAINING TO ME THAT THE "SHEPHARD" GEAR BOXES ARE OF VERY POOR QUALITY. THE NEW GEAR BOX REDUCED THE FREE PLAY TO APPROXIMATELY 4" OF FREE PLAY. THIS IS A 50% IMPORVEMENT, BUT STILL NOT VERY GOOD. SINCE THE FRONT WHEELS HAVE SOME DISTANCE TO TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH WITHOUT CONTROL, THE COACH WILL WONDER TOWARD ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO CORRECT IT, YOU GET NO RESPONSE UNTIL YOU PASS THE FEE PLAY. THEN, THE FRONT WHEELS TURN NOT ONLY THE AMOUNT THE STEERING WHEEL FINALLY DICTATED, BUT THEY FLOP OVER THE FULL EXTEND OF THE FREE PLAY, AND YOU SHOOT OFF IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THIS IS ESPECIALLY CRITICAL WHEN PASSING A SEMI-TRUCK. WHEN I TOOK THE COACH INTO ONE OF THE MONACO DEALERS A FEW WEEKS AGO, MONACO INSTRUCTED THE DEALER TO REMOVE THE STEERING GEAR LUBRICANT AND REPLACE IT WITH MOTOR OIL. WHEN I FIRST CONTACT MONACO REGARDING THIS ISSUE, THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO TALK TO A CERTAIN PERSON, BECAUSE HE WAS HANDLING ALL OF THE SHEPHARD PROBLEMS. APPARENTLY, MONACO KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CRITICAL COMPONENT, AND CHOOSES NOT TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *AK