2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

WHILE TRAVELLING HOME FROM A CAMPOUT, I NOTICED EXCESSIVE SPRING IN THE FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER AT THE KING PIN. AT NEXT FUEL STOP I IDENTIFIED THAT THE HITCH BOX WELDS TO THE CAMPER FRAME WAS BROKE AND GAPPED APPROX. 1/2", THE HITCH BOX IS THE WELDED MEMBER TO THE CAMPER THAT ALLOWS THE CAMPER TO BE CONNECTED TO THE TOW VEHICLE. HAD IT COMPLETELY SEPARATED THE CAMPER WOULD HAVE BEEN LOOSE FROM THE TRUCK. THIS FRAME IS BUILT BY LIPPERT WHO PROVIDES MANY OF THE FRAMES FOR CAMPER MANUFACTURERS. I CONTACTED LIPPERT AND WAS TOLD THAT IT ISN'T WARRANTIED DUE TO AGE. THIS COMPONENT SHOULD LAST LONGEST OF ANYTHING ELSE ON A CAMPER IN MY OPINION. SEVERE DAMAGE AND DEATH COULD RESULT IF THIS COMPONENT FAILS AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH TRAFFIC.

TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA 3400RL (JANUARY 11, 2007) THAT IS STAMPED WITH A GAWR OF 7,000 LBS AND GVWR 15,500 LBS. THE FACTORY TREDIT T6 WHEELS HAVE A CASTING STAMP OF 3,042, BUT A STICKER ON THE RIM INDICATING 3,750 LBS @ 110 PSI. (AT LEAST 3,500 LBS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MEET THE GAWR AND GVWR). WHEN WE REPLACED TIRES IN 2008, THE TIRE DEALER SAID THE STICKER LOOKED SUSPICIOUS AND REQUESTED THE RATING FOR THE T6 WHEEL TO BE IN WRITING FROM TREDIT. WE OBTAINED THAT VERIFICATION IN THE FORM OF AN EMAIL FROM TREDIT IN 2008, WHICH WE HAVE. WE AGAIN NEED TO REPLACE THE TIRES AND WE REQUESTED VERIFICATION IN WRITING FROM TREDIT, HOWEVER THIS TIME WE LEARN VIA EMAIL FROM TREDIT THAT THE RATING ON THE STICKER HAS BEEN RESCINDED AS THAT WHEEL NEVER ACTUALLY PASSED THE LOAD TEST. WITHOUT THE STICKER RATING, OUR STAMPED 3,042 WHEELS ARE 500LBS UNDER-RATED FOR THE LOAD, OR 2,000 LBS OVERLOADED FOR THE GVWR AS DELIVERED FROM THE FACTORY, NOT TO MENTION THAT THE FACTORY TIRES EXCEEDED THE LOAD CAPACITY ON THE WHEELS AS WELL. THERE WERE NO NOTIFICATIONS OR RECALLS RECEIVED ABOUT CHANGES IN THE WHEEL RATING, AND WE ARE ORIGINAL OWNERS. THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE DISCREPANCY ON THE KEYSTONE WEBSITE UNDER NOTIFICATIONS AND RECALLS, EVEN THOUGH THIS ISSUE EXTENDED THROUGH AT LEAST ONE MODEL YEAR, POSSIBLY TWO. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THE WAY THE STICKER WAS HANDLED. OUR MODEL MONTANA WAS BUILT WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH THAT KEYSTONE/MONTANA SWITCHED TO 7,000 LB CAPACITY AXLES, YET THE WHEELS WERE THE SAME TREDIT T6 USED SINCE 2005 ON THE 6,000 LB CAPACITY AXLES. I BELIEVE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES LEADING TO THE STICKERS TO ALLOW THE WHEELS TO MEET THE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY OF THE NEW AXLES. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA FIFTH WHEEL WITH BAL "C" JACKS (NORCO INDUSTRIES) ON THE REAR FRAME. WHILE TRAILERING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA I WAS SIGNALED TO PULL OVER BY ANOTHER DRIVER. WHEN I DID, I NOTICED THE BOTH C JACK WERE DRAGGING ON THE PAVEMENT. IT WAS NOT THE PEDESTAL END OF THE JACKS BUT THE ENDS TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE TRAILER AND THE T BRACKETS BRACKETS WERE BENT. I HAD TO REMOVE BOTH JACKS TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO MY HOME IN ARIZONA. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE JACKS AND I DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SUPPORT CHANNEL THAT WAS MISSING. I PURCHASED THE NECESSARY PARTS THROUGH A DEALER AND INSTALLED THEM MYSELF. APPARENTLY THE SUPPORT CHANNEL FELL OUT SOMEWHERE ON THE FREEWAY, I KNOW NOT WHERE. ACCORDING TO THE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE JACKS, THE SUPPORT CHANNEL SHOULD BE WELDED OR SECURED BY SCREW. IT WAS NOT. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF A SCREW EVER BEING PRESENT. I HAVE SINCE MET TWO OTHER MONTANA OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME C JACK SYSTEM AND THEIR SUPPORT CHANNELS ARE STILL PRESENT BUT NOT SECURED. ONE WAS WITHIN AN INCH OF FALLING OFF! I CALLED KEYSTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE IN AUGUST AND RELAYED THE INFORMATION TO THEM. TO MY SURPRISE THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO CARE ABOUT THE INCIDENT. I SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS A POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS IF SOMEONE WAS HIT BY OR RAN OVER A SUPPORT CHANNEL WHICH COULD FALL ONTO THE ROADWAY. IT DIDN'T PHASE THEM AND SINCE THE 5TH WHEEL WAS ALMOST 4 YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I DON'T CARE THAT THEY WOULDN'T HELP ME WITH PARTS OR LABOR, I FIXED IT MYSELF WITH ABOUT $20 WORTH OF PARTS AND MY OWN LABOR TIME. I FIND IT ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE THAT THEY WON'T ADMIT THAT THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR METHOD OF INSTALLING THE JACKS. SOMEONE SHOULD GET THE WORD OUT! *KB

I HAVE A 2007 KEYSTONE MONTANA FIFTH WHEEL WITH BAL "C" JACKS (NORCO INDUSTRIES) ON THE REAR FRAME. WHILE TRAILERING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA I WAS SIGNALED TO PULL OVER BY ANOTHER DRIVER. WHEN I DID, I NOTICED THE BOTH C JACK WERE DRAGGING ON THE PAVEMENT. IT WAS NOT THE PEDESTAL END OF THE JACKS BUT THE ENDS TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE TRAILER AND THE T BRACKETS BRACKETS WERE BENT. I HAD TO REMOVE BOTH JACKS TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO MY HOME IN ARIZONA. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE JACKS AND I DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SUPPORT CHANNEL THAT WAS MISSING. I PURCHASED THE NECESSARY PARTS THROUGH A DEALER AND INSTALLED THEM MYSELF. APPARENTLY THE SUPPORT CHANNEL FELL OUT SOMEWHERE ON THE FREEWAY, I KNOW NOT WHERE. ACCORDING TO THE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE JACKS, THE SUPPORT CHANNEL SHOULD BE WELDED OR SECURED BY SCREW. IT WAS NOT. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF A SCREW EVER BEING PRESENT. I HAVE SINCE MET TWO OTHER MONTANA OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME C JACK SYSTEM AND THEIR SUPPORT CHANNELS ARE STILL PRESENT BUT NOT SECURED. ONE WAS WITHIN AN INCH OF FALLING OFF! I CALLED KEYSTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE IN AUGUST AND RELAYED THE INFORMATION TO THEM. TO MY SURPRISE THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO CARE ABOUT THE INCIDENT. I SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS A POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS IF SOMEONE WAS HIT BY OR RAN OVER A SUPPORT CHANNEL WHICH COULD FALL ONTO THE ROADWAY. IT DIDN'T PHASE THEM AND SINCE THE 5TH WHEEL WAS ALMOST 4 YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I DON'T CARE THAT THEY WOULDN'T HELP ME WITH PARTS OR LABOR, I FIXED IT MYSELF WITH ABOUT $20 WORTH OF PARTS AND MY OWN LABOR TIME. I FIND IT ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE THAT THEY WON'T ADMIT THAT THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR METHOD OF INSTALLING THE JACKS. SOMEONE SHOULD GET THE WORD OUT! *KB

THE FIRST SET OF TIRES FREESTAR RADIAL S/T 235/80/16 LOAD RANGE E WERE REPLACED BY MISSION TIRE AFTER 3280 MILE BECAUSE OF SIDEWALL FAILURE, THE TIRES SENT TO REPLACE THE BAD ONES LASTED 1680 MILES. THEY HAVE TREAD SEPARATION AND WALL RUPTURE. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO RECOUP MY TIRE COST. THESE TIRES ARE VERY UNSAFE FOR HIGHWAY USE,BECAUSE OF BLOWOUT OR TREAD LOSS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NO ONE WAS INJURED BECAUSE OF THE TIRE PROBLEMS BUT VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEEN. SEVEN OF THE EIGHT TIRE I HAVE HAD WERE A DEATH TRAP IN MY OPINION AND I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER TIRE MANUFACTURED BY NANKANG OR SOLD THROUGH MISSION TIRE. THE TIRES IN THIS COMPLAINT ARE ALL TIRES ON THE TRAILER TANDEM AXEL FRONT AND REAR. IF THERE HAD BEEN A BLOWOUT BECAUSE OF THESE TIRES THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE OR EVEN DEATH COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD POSSIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE HIGHWAY SPEED. *TR