Trimark Lock Failure

[dfp]

Door lock failed, culd not get into the RV but had to go through unlocked front window. Could not open door from the inside so ended up taking the lock apart. The sliding shaft had broken in half so could not be pulled out of jam with key or inside mechanism. I am putting a new Trimark in but am now worried about the future. Is it going to happen again and if there were a fire I'm afraid that human life would be in danger.

I have reported this to the NHTSA.

There was another thread on this for all Forest River products but to old to reply to.

[my10539isok]

I had a similar latch failure in my '16 270 where a plastic part in the mechanism that spaces the latch bolt had broken and fallen into interference with the bolt preventing either inside or outside levers to operate. I did manage to get the door open when my persistent yanking on the levers broke enough of the plastic part away to allow the latch to release. Unfortunately, the plastic part is not available as a replacement part and the entire unit is riveted together and not user serviceable. My unit is out of warranty and I refused to spend $$$ to replace the assembly. My solution was to fashion a spacer of more durable material and make sure that if it dislodged it wouldn't interfere with the mechanism. I will open it up in a few months to ensure it's performing as expected.


Good luck. - Mark

[Mr. October]

Well, this is worrisome. My wife is a chronic “door locked” tester. I’ll have to put a stop to that on the new coach when it comes in. I wonder if there is a suitable after-market replacement?

[my10539isok]

Originally Posted by Mr. October

Well, this is worrisome. My wife is a chronic “door locked” tester. I’ll have to put a stop to that on the new coach when it comes in. I wonder if there is a suitable after-market replacement?

As a suggestion, the deadbolt though contained in the same mechanism operates separately from the main latch/lock. So, using the deadbolt instead would avoid the failure I encountered.


One of the positives of this forum that I appreciate most is that the issues others have make me aware of things to be observant of or look out for, though it's important to understand that you may not have the same problem. Keeping perspective in all things may be of some comfort as I firmly believe in being aware over being frantic. Take care. - Mark

[Outtahere100]

Originally Posted by my10539isok

Unfortunately, the plastic part is not available as a replacement part and the entire unit is riveted together and not user serviceable. My unit is out of warranty and I refused to spend $$$ to replace the assembly. My solution was to fashion a spacer of more durable material and make sure that if it dislodged it wouldn't interfere with the mechanism. I will open it up in a few months to ensure it's performing as expected.


Good luck. - Mark

Hi Mark,

I had the same problem, but, I could not determine the purpose or location of the white, plastic part, it was in several pieces and had fallen out of place. When you open your lock to check it, could you post a photo of the part you made?

Thanks!

John

[Mr. October]

Originally Posted by my10539isok

As a suggestion, the deadbolt though contained in the same mechanism operates separately from the main latch/lock. So, using the deadbolt instead would avoid the failure I encountered.


One of the positives of this forum that I appreciate most is that the issues others have make me aware of things to be observant of or look out for, though it's important to understand that you may not have the same problem. Keeping perspective in all things may be of some comfort as I firmly believe in being aware over being frantic. Take care. - Mark

Thanks Mark. Good thought on the deadbolt.

[my10539isok]

Originally Posted by Outtahere100

Hi Mark,

I had the same problem, but, I could not determine the purpose or location of the white, plastic part, it was in several pieces and had fallen out of place. When you open your lock to check it, could you post a photo of the part you made?

Thanks!

John

John (outtahere100), let’s see if I can pull this one off. I took the latch off my door to check it and take pics for you.

First, my apologies to David (dfp, the Original Poster) who posted about the broken Sliding Latch Bolt. His failure is very serious and deserves the attention he brought to it. The failure I had involves a plastic part that also resulted in the latch being inoperative. I don’t know if there could be any correlation between the two failures other than the similar anger of the owners not being able to open their doors. I didn’t mean to hijack the thread and just wanted to add another latch failure issue to watch for. John (outtahere100) mentioned he had the same problem.

The plastic part (clip) shown in the first 3 pics normally has three “tangs” that allow it to snap onto the Sliding Latch Bolt (SLB). It apparently provides a sliding surface for the SLB and takes up the space between it and the locking strap that moves up and down when the lock knob is rotated. Other than that, I don’t know what its full job description is as the latch seems to still function without it (as long as the pieces don’t jam the SLB) though it is probably a bit more sloppy without it.

The 1st pic shows the clip I pried out of my unit showing the upper right corner and “tang” broken off. This allowed the clip to rotate CCW where the lower left corner jammed the SLB. The bashed in lower left corner is from my repeated attempts to open the door. The 2nd pic shows the back side of the clip. The 3rd pic shows the clip sitting where it would normally be, but it would be snapped on the SLB under the locking strap. Even if I could get a new clip, I doubt I could install it without breaking it as the locking strap above it would have to be moved and the assembly is riveted together. The 4th pic shows the rubber piece I used to replace the clip as installed on my unit. It’s affixed to the SLB with self adhesive backing and has a raised lip on the left end so that if it becomes dislodged, it won’t fall into the mechanism. In the 5th pic, I pushed the SLB in with my hand to show how the rubber piece moves with it.

Pic 6 shows the material I made the piece from. I happened to have some of this step tread material in a drawer and the thickness (between the treads) was correct. And, if cut correctly, it would leave a raised lip on the left end that would keep it out of the mechanism if it came loose. Lastly, this material is quite durable and has a good 3M self adhesive backing that I felt would be sufficient to keep it in place. The part isn’t under any stress and basically just needs to fill the space, perhaps absorb shock and stay put. As an example, I made another piece today from the material which is shown in pic 8. The dimensions are roughly 3CM by 1.5CM. I trimmed the excess material with a razor blade and ground the tread off on a bench grinder. The 8th pic shows the new piece lying on the assembly next to the one I installed a couple of months ago. It's still intact and shows no issues. I’ll check it next season and see if it’s still good. I have no reason (now) to doubt it but there are several new adhesives that I'm sure will work if need be.

I hope this helps if anyone else experiences this failure. The fix I did is simple, just be sure to clean the surface of the SLB with lacquer thinner or some other dangerous solvent so the rubber piece adheres securely. I put a small dab of silicone grease on the rubber piece where it contacts the locking strap. There are no doubt other ways this could be fixed and I welcome them if anyone has one. The latch assembly itself is very easy to remove with 3 screws on the inside and 2 others in the door edge.

Good luck everyone. - Mark


PS - John (outtahere100), PM me if you want the piece I made today and I’ll send it to you.

[dfp]

Mark,

Thanks for your failure explanantion. Your pictures were great, I sent one but it did not make it so that is something I need to figure out. My metal slide is pot metal, I think bad material for the stressful function it serves.

[ICB]

2016 364TS...

Just had my lock to fail this weekend. We were trapped inside. Climbed my butt out the window to try it from the outside just to see if it would work, not a chance. Somehow i was able climb back in and I had to take the entire lock apart to get my family out. Been using the deadbolt since. However it’s a pain to have always lock it when going in and out. Is there a recall on this? Will the manufacturer replace it? Is there a different brand i can replace it with? Thanks for any help i can get.

[my10539isok]

Originally Posted by ICB

2016 364TS...

Just had my lock to fail this weekend. We were trapped inside...

What did you find was broken when you got it apart? Was it the plastic part I mentioned earlier in this thread or something else? If it was the plastic part, the latch will still operate without it (though loosely) once it and any pieces are removed and the fix I described was not difficult and seems to work. I know of no recall on this and unless your coach is still under warranty I doubt they'll fix it. These units are in wide use within the industry and I no of no others that are exact replacements though one might exist..

Good luck. - Mark.

[ICB]

Originally Posted by my10539isok

What did you find was broken when you got it apart? Was it the plastic part I mentioned earlier in this thread or something else? If it was the plastic part, the latch will still operate without it (though loosely) once it and any pieces are removed and the fix I described was not difficult and seems to work. I know of no recall on this and unless your coach is still under warranty I doubt they'll fix it. These units are in wide use within the industry and I no of no others that are exact replacements though one might exist..

Good luck. - Mark.

It was the metal piece... See arrow. Thanks for your help.

[my10539isok]

I checked with the local dealer today about these latch assemblies. He confirmed that they contain no replaceable parts and are not serviceable. He added that they've encountered failures like those that have been reported in this thread and they therefore keep these assemblies in stock. Their price for them is $185. He said there is no recall on them and they replace them if the coach is still on warranty. I opened one of the new ones he had on the shelf and the plastic part I reported had broken on mine appears to be a new design and looks sturdier. I couldn't tell if there were any other significant changes.

The dilemma is whether or not to replace it now or risk being locked in or out of the coach in the future if it fails. I will likely replace it before next season and do a more in-depth comparison between the old and new to see if my confidence in it is sufficient to say the problem has likely been corrected. If I do this, I'll add to this thread. Until then, I'll carry tools inside so I can break out and leave a window cracked so I can break in. Coaches newer than mine (early 2016) might have the updated latch but of course there's no way of knowing. Good luck everyone.

Mark

[ICB]

Found this one on Amazon... I wonder if it is worth the price?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...LXZT0LPG&psc=1

[my10539isok]

Originally Posted by ICB

Found this one on Amazon... I wonder if it is worth the price?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...LXZT0LPG&psc=1

Could be a winner, but I'd sure like to see one first (unless Amazon will easily let you return it.)

[ICB]

Originally Posted by my10539isok

Could be a winner, but I'd sure like to see one first (unless Amazon will easily let you return it.)

I have had no issues returning items to Amazon before. I will let you know how it turns out. I called TriMark, after having to disassemble the lock again just to get some numbers off of it, all they were willing to do was sell me a new part (the exterior portion) for $141, while Amazon had the whole kit for $105. So I ordered from Amazon and I filed a complaint with the NHTSA. I also called, they said there were about 6 officially filed complaints on this lock. Hopefully, more people will take the few minutes to file the complaint. This part should be recalled, heaven forbid this lock breaks while there is an emergency in the RV.

[dfp]

Canada has a TriMark recall but I do not know which lock or why.

[ICB]

Originally Posted by my10539isok

Could be a winner, but I'd sure like to see one first (unless Amazon will easily let you return it.)

Got the new lock today, installed it and it fits perfectly. Now i just hope it lasts.

[cbmerton]

I talked to the factory and they make locks that have either zinc or steel. You need to make sure you get a steel lock. I will see if I can find the info they gave me.

[cjd10]

Originally Posted by cbmerton

I talked to the factory and they make locks that have either zinc or steel. You need to make sure you get a steel lock. I will see if I can find the info they gave me.

Would be interested in seeing if there is indeed a better version of this lock.
Between my last MH and this one I have had to replace this pos thing three times

[ICB]

Originally Posted by cjd10

Would be interested in seeing if there is indeed a better version of this lock.
Between my last MH and this one I have had to replace this pos thing three times

According to their website, the one i have, model 060-1650, replaced the other one that was defective, 060-0650.