2018 FORD E-450 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

I received a recall letter stating the awning (Solera Smart Arm manufactured by Lippert) on my newly purchased Forest River RV could begin to open up as the vehicle was in motion. Because of the extreme safety issue, I immediately took it into the service department for fear it would rip off while driving and cause a collision and possible serious injury to others. After attempting to fix the recall issue my awning has never worked properly. After 7 attempts, several replacement parts and three years later, my awning still does not work. After each time the awning was serviced, I would bring it back to storage. A month or two later I would go on a trip. Once I arrived at my location, I would attempt to open my awning and it was inoperative. It would take one to two months to get a service appointment and then a month or more for the service technician to attempt to fix the issue. This occurred five times after the initial attempt to fix the recall. Each time moisture got into the exterior controls and no amount of sealant would rectify the problem. I am unsure if the safety issue has even been rectified and now have to travel with zip ties around my awning arms. Once again, my awning is inoperative.

The contact owns a 2019 Nexus Viper built on a 2018 Ford E-450 chassis. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel felt loose, and the vehicle would not drive in a straight line. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the RV to an independent mechanic and was informed that the cam bushing was detached from the RV. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that they would tow the RV to a local dealer. The contact stated that when he contacted the local dealer, he was informed that there was no space to repair the RV at their location. The manufacturer had been informed about the issue and had the RV towed back to the independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,514.

The contact owns a 2019 Jayco Redhawk built on a 2018 Ford E-450 chassis. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V204000 (Equipment) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact took the RV to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The mechanic disconnected the gas line. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The RV manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 (NA) FORD E-450. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, A POPPING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MAGIC CITY FORD LINCOLN (540-345-0911, LOCATED AT 809 WILLIAMSON RD NE, ROANOKE, VA 24016) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL WAS ABOUT TO DETACH DUE TO THE OUTER WHEEL BEARING FALLING APART. THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE BEARINGS, BRAKE PADS, SPINDLE, AND WHEEL HUB. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,004.*JB

. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. WE WERE ON A TRIP AND AT ONE POINT MY RIGHT FOOT TOUCHED THE DOG HOUSE NEAR THE ACCELERATOR. I MOVED MY FOOT VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE IT WAS HOT AND BURNED MY FOOT. WHEN WE ARRIVED HOME, I USED A NON CONTACT THERMOMETER TO MEASURE THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF THE DOG HOUSE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE I FOUND WAS 120 DEGREES AND THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE WAS 148 DEGREES. THE 148 DEGREE TEMPERATURE WAS NEXT TO WHERE MY FOOT IS WHEN I AM DRIVING. SINCE THIS IS AN RV WE TYPICALLY DRIVE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AT A TIME. THIS TEMPERATURE OCCURRED A FEW HOURS INTO THE TRIP AND HAS BEEN REPEATED ON SUBSEQUENT TRIPS. THIS IS MOSTLY HIGHWAY DRIVING.