2006 FLEETWOOD WILDERNESS — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE LAST YEAR FROM A PRIVATE OWNER. AT THE SALE THE OWNER EXPLAINED THERE WAS AN ISSUE AND ONE OF THE AXLES HAD BEEN REPLACED. WHILE DRIVING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY I WAS HAVING STABILITY ISSUES, ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAYS AROUND OTHER LARGE VEHICLES, BUT WIND, CORNERING AND UNEVEN PAVEMENT WERE PROBLEMS AS WELL. NUMEROUS TIMES I EXAMINED MY TRUCK, HITCH / WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION AND ANTI-SWAY SETUP HAD COME TO DETERMINE THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE TRAILER. I REPLACED TWO OF THE TIRES AFTER A FLAT AND STILL NEED TO DO THE OTHER TWO. AFTER THE TRIP I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRAILER TO EXAMINE THE SUSPENSION COMPONENTS AND CHECK THE WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE. BOTH THE ORIGINAL AXLE AND THE NEW DEXTER AXLE ARE RATED FOR 3500 LBS; HEREIN LIES THE RUB. MY TRAVEL TRAILER HAS A DRY WEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 6000 LBS (5933 TO BE EXACT) AND A GVWR OF 8000 LBS AND SITS (FROM THE FACTORY MIND YOU) ON 3500 LB AXLES. THE UNIT FROM THE FACTORY EMPTY IS 1000 LBS SHY OF THE MAXIMUM DUTY RATING OF THE SUSPENSION PARTS HOWEVER IF YOU LOAD THE THING UP TO IT'S MAXIMUM VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING, IT IS 1000 LBS OVER THE DUTY RATING OF THE SUSPENSION PARTS. UPON INSPECTION, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE YEARS OF TRAVELING AT AND ABOVE THE DUTY RATING OF THE SUSPENSION HAS TAKEN IT'S TOLL AND IT SHOULD ALL BE REPLACED. I'M GUESSING THE PREVIOUS OWNER JUST REPLACED THE ONE AXLE AND GAVE UP. I CANNOT FIND ANY RECALLS OR ANYWHERE WHERE FLEETWOOD ADDRESSED OR TRIED TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE, SO I COME TO THE NHTSA TO FIND OUT IF I HAVE MISSED A RECALL OR SOMETHING OR AT THE VERY LEAST... WHY THE MATH DOES NOT WORK. HOW CAN THE GVWR EXCEED THE DUTY RATING FOR THE SUSPENSION PARTS RIGHT FROM THE FACTORY. MY TRAILER IS NOW REMOVED FROM SERVICE UNTIL I CAN REPLACE THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION SYSTEM!

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TIRES ON THE TRAVEL TRAILER WERE TOO SMALL. THE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH ON A DRY HIGHWAY. THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT FOR THE TRAILER WAS 9,600 POUNDS. GROSS WEIGHT FOR EACH TIRE WAS 2,150 POUNDS; A TOTAL OF 8,600 POUNDS. THERE WERE 2,500 MILES ON THE TIRE. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TIRES WERE THE CORRECT MINIMUM REQUIRED TIRES. THE TIRE WAS A HIGHWAY MASTER, STEEL BELTED RADIAL LOAD RANGE C. THE TIRE SIZE WAS 225/75R/15.