| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 000039561 | Incident Date: Apr, 29 2000 |
| Consumer's City: ALBUQUERQUE | Consumer's State: NM |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: | Manufacturers Name: COACHMEN INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| Model Name: COACHMEN | Model Year: 1996 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Structure:frame and members |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 1TC3B5714T1 | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Jun, 15 2000 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Jan, 31 1997 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: No |
| Number of Cylinders: 0 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Front tubing which is the frame cracked completely where the king pin hitch is fastened. frame tubing on opposite side cracked & welds in rear of king pin bracket broke loose from bottom to top about half way up. coachment offered to fix the problem with an enhancement kit. the enhancement kit was originally offered on 2/24/97, under the owner notification program np002-fifth wheel pin box frame modification. it targeted certain 94 and 95 indiana produced coachmen fifth wheel trailers. in coachmen's letter to 94-95 owners, they state "in rare and severe conditions, a "progressive" frame flex is possible in which the goose neck area of the fifth wheel frame could begin to sag onto the bed of the pick-up, over the hitch. this condition may develop after extended use, overloading, or uneven weight distribution." our 1996 trailer has not been exposed to any of these conditions. it has ~ 10,000 miles and has been taken care of very well. this does not seem to be a maintenance problem, but a manufacturing defect. this can caue fatal accidents. please investigate. why a kit? they can build it right, initially. it is not against the law in nm, for passengers to ride in a fifth wheel. what if our kids were in the fifth wheel at the time of the break? what if we had not noticed the sagging fifth wheel, continued on the highway at even 35 mph and the trailer broke loose? the issue is one of safety. even if coachmen fixes the fifth wheel, we will not feel safe in it. *ak |
