Forest River says not their problem...

[KyDan]

Dezolen-- chill!!
He's going about it the right way. RVs are NOT cars. They're more like a house.
They are assembled with out-sourced parts. The frame is made by one guy.
The axles by someone else, the fridge by someone else, the AC by someone else etc....
The entire unit is normally warranted by the dealer/manufacturer for a year.
After that, it's up to the individual sources to step up to the plate.
Mike is past the 1 year mark. Your new car probably comes with a "tire manufacturer's
warranty". They are likely not covered by the car warranty. You know those "wear
out items" like tires, brakes, belts, hoses and wiper blades.
Also and most importantly-- like my momma used to say, "you'll catch more flies
with honey than with vinegar".
Mike is using the right tone and approach IMO.
Sweet talking them into fixing a problem is way better than trying to force them to
do something via lawyer. They have lawyers too......
Also- if my axle or frame had a problem, I'd want the axle/frame factory
to fix it if I could get them to. If they don't know how, who does??

[dezolen]

Sorry to mislead you but GM, Ford, Chrysler and the others outsource many assemblies and parts but they do not close their eyes to problems when warrantee or recalls are needed. ie your starter is shot go see General Electric as we washed our hands of it because we only assembled the car.( I would think not)
I guess I am fortunate because I have been able to fix most all the rv problems I have had unless I needed parts warrantee or no warantee.
I agree with you about attempting to reason and start off politely with manuf and dealer but no way should you have to go to component manuf.
For a major defect and safety hazard like axles being out of line I would expect trailer manufacturer to take an interest and be responsible to make it right if it was built wrong in the first place.

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by dezolen

Sorry to mislead you but GM, Ford, Chrysler and the others outsource many assemblies and parts but they do not close their eyes to problems when warrantee or recalls are needed. ie your starter is shot go see General Electric as we washed our hands of it because we only assembled the car.( I would think not)
I guess I am fortunate because I have been able to fix most all the rv problems I have had unless I needed parts warrantee or no warantee.
For a major defect and safety hazard like axles being out of line I would expect trailer manufacturer to take an interest and be responsible to make it right if it was built wrong in the first place.

I have to agree here, if FR welded the spring hangars incorectly, thus mounting the axles incorectly then how is this Lippert's problem, they just sold the components to FR. Now if the axle itself failed then Lipert would be on the hook.

If my electric step on my rig was attached incorectly I wouldn't go Lippert with the problem, they only made the steps but FR attached them to the frame.

Just because it has been over a year doesn't mean that Lippert did anything wrong in the building of the axles, it's ludicris to think they should be responsible for Forest Rivers mistake!

[KyDan]

Maybe Lippert made the frame and axles??
I don't know that, but it's the only reason I can think of for Forest River saying
it was Lippert's problem.

[camperjunkie]

The bracket/pan that holds my gas tanks on broke loose and fell of and the mount for the spare tire broke loose causing me to drag it for quite sometime. Anyway, when I contacted FR about it they told me that they didn't make the frame. My response was I didn't buy a FR trailer on a X company frame. I think I caught him off guard with that, he couldn't help but to agree. In the end they fixed everything. They have worked with me on my problems for the past 4 years.

[rockwood06]

Originally Posted by Mike Gilbert

We purchased a Forest River Cardinal Spring 2006, 4 slides, 37RL. We have had two blow outs on tires for no reason. We noticed that the tires on the left side of the trailer were way too close together (barely can get your fingers between them). The other side is normal. We were always told the trailer was sitting crooked. We took it to the dealership for maintenance and asked them to check this for us. Dealer said the hangers were welded a half inch off FROM THE FACTORY. (Lippert) The dealer has called as we have repeatedly to Forest River and Lippert. Spoke to a man named Vaughn at Lippert and he says from the photos the dealer sent it is within specs. Clearly it is not so as the dealer says it is wrong. Terry at Forest River has discussed this issue with Vaughn at Lippert and also the axle manufacturer. Both are saying out of warrenty - not our problem. This is a very serious and dangerous issue and we are wanting to make everyone aware that Forest River/Lippert refuses to help. There is a Lippert dealer less than 45 minutes away and they would not even consider looking at it. We are also notifying Trailer Life and Highways magazine (Good Sam Club mag). Needless to say, the dealer is out done with Forest River also. What I hate is we liked our RV but are very unhappy with the fact that these sort of items should not have to be fixed in 2 years and not a lot of road miles.

Anyone have any suggestions??

I am going to try to make this short and sweet. I had a problem with axle on my Rockwood, now I do not have Lippert axles they are AL-CO. I went to my dealer and explained the problem they told me that there should not be any problrm with It but the service dept gave me AL-CO phone number, I call them and sent pic of the problem, they contacted my dealer and showed the pic to there engineering dept. In less then 48 hours I had a solution. So I suggest to contact your dealer and ask for the phone number to the axle manufacture, they will tell you who and how the frame was assembled and can help assist from there. I have been told that in alot of cases it is better for the customer to deal with the manufactures directly then the dealers. And I have to agree, a lawyer at this point is going to delay thing from happening, as I said contact the axle manufacture first and then see what they say. Good luck.

[Mike Gilbert]

Thanks so much for all the input. I spoke with someone at Forest River Friday and he gave me another name at Lippert. Supposely higher up than the the one I previously spoke with. I am to call him today. I am needing some sort of decision as I feel the need to get my unit out of the way at the dealership, although they have not said anything. Keeping fingers crossed...

[Bama Rambler]

You're being a very patient person and kudos to you for that. I hope you get some resolution soon.

If they (Lippert) says the frame/axles are within spec then they need to give you the specs & how to measure them. Then at least you can decide what to do about it.

[Mike Gilbert]

Hit a road block. It seems as if everyone is trying to say it is not their problem. Lippert says they are totally through with it. They are saying it coul be Al CO components - springs, shackles. Going to call Forest River one more time. I feel we have been more than patient, but talk about the run around. Called AL CO in Mississippi and was pretty much blown off as they are closing that yard down. Said contact main factory in Elkhart but do not expect much in return. I suppose we are stuck with paying to fix it ourselves but sure does leave a bad taste in your mouth regarding this unit.

[Mike Gilbert]

"They" are now saying it could be the springs have fallen. What does that mean? "They" say this is the reason the tires on one side are so close together. They being Lippert.

[welshman599]

Personally, I'd be all over your dealer like paint back when the problem was first noticed. They took the profit from that sale and it doesn't sound as if they got all that involved in the problem or the solution, otherwise you wouldn't have had to do so much of this yourself. The other thing that causes you a problem I imagine is that nearly three years have lapsed now... a misalignment as bad as you describe should never have been left unresolved outside the warranty period. It should have been found, fixed and forgotten a long time ago. Of course that is water under the bridge now. Now, I'd take the unit to a good spring shop and have it fixed, which is what your dealer should have arranged to have done in summer '06.

[dezolen]

I re affirm again. There is no way you should have to do all this legwork. Forest River name is on the trailer. That is what you bought. NOt a Lippert Trailer, not a Al Co. trailer. This is total BS that trailer manuf will not stand behind the product.

[Mike Gilbert]

Oh. speaking of dealers. The dealer we are working with here..have been awesome. We did not even buy the unit from them. We bought it in Arkansas (and by the way, I see on another forum labeled good and bad dealers-that someone else does not like this dealer. I will say their name - RV City in Benton AR). Forget about doing anything with them. We are about 4 hours away from them and can never get anyone to talk to us. But they were sure wanting us to buy te unit. Of course, off chasing rabbits...After we purchased the unit, we had a very small problem and when we tried to contact the saleman, we were told he was out on the lot, or with a customer or off that day. So one Sat we drove 4 hours and sat in the parking lot and called. Were told he was with a customer...imagine his surprise when we walked in and he was standing there drinking a cup of coffee. Busted....Which brings us back to now. The dealer in our town is helping us so much and they did not even sell it to us. Another lesson learned.

[KyDan]

I agree with Welshman.
Maybe it's time to get it fixed and move on.
A good truck frame/spring shop should be able to check it out,
give you an estimate and then you'll know if you're going through all this
over a few hundred dollars or are the damages going to be more.
If it's a few hundred, IMO it's time to get it fixed and hit the road!!

Remember the mantra of boaters everywhere-- "a boat is a hole in the water
where you throw your money".
Same thing for RVing.
If you let this ruin your camping/vacation experience what have you got then???
A very expensive eye sore parked in your back yard.
You don't want that!!

[KyDan]

I agree with you, the manufacturers should stand behind their product.
The trailer is now 3 years old.
The world economy is in shambles.
Dealers and manufacturers are going out of business every day.
Forest River has to be feeling the pinch like the rest of them.
We wish they would fix Mike's problem but we
hope they can stay in business!!
It would not surprise me to hear that ANY RV manufacturer you care to name
had gone bankrupt today.... none are immune from this.

[Mike Gilbert]

Agreed. We are picking up the RV this weekend. Paying for repairs done and taking it to a frame/spring shop and hope that it is not too costly to repair. Sure, we rode along for almost 3 years like this, but now my wife is terrified of the RV and does not want to go anywhere until it is completely repaired. I am not as scared as she is about all this, but my family's safety and other folks on the road is important to me. Thanks everyone.

[cfsoistman]

Originally Posted by Mike Gilbert

Agreed. We are picking up the RV this weekend. Paying for repairs done and taking it to a frame/spring shop and hope that it is not too costly to repair. Sure, we rode along for almost 3 years like this, but now my wife is terrified of the RV and does not want to go anywhere until it is completely repaired. I am not as scared as she is about all this, but my family's safety and other folks on the road is important to me. Thanks everyone.

You can't put a price on safety or Peace of Mind. Good decision Mike. Hopefully the repair cost won't be too steep. Just think about that next camping trip, kicking back, with all of this behind you. Best wishes for a troublefree camping season, Charlie



Get out there and get camping!!!

[KyDan]

I agree with Charlie,
We hope the repairs are a total fix and not too costly.
I also wish you a happy camping season.
If you want us to share the pain, let us know how it works out.
Good Luck and Happy Camping!!
KyDan