Dutchmen Trailer 2004
Model Trailer made in 2004 by Dutchmen got 28 consumer complains as well as 1 recall. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to electrical system and equipment. There was one recall concerning equipment .
Model 2004
Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT - RECREATIONAL VEHICLE - LPG FURNACE | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V015000 | DUTCHMEN MANUFACTURING, INC. | from 06/01/2000 to 11/30/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 21508 | 02/20/2004 | MFR | DUTCHMEN MANUFACTURING, INC. | 01/05/2004 | 01/13/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain traveltrailers equipped with suburban furnaces, the furnace exhaust vent may not be present. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | When the furnace is in use this could allow carbon monoxide fumes to vent into the trailer, which could result in serious injury or death to the passengers. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Owners and dealers will inspect for the presence of the exhaust vent and for hot exhaust air escaping from the furnace exhaust. the recall began february 20, 2004. owners should contact dutchmen at 1-219-534-1224. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Customer's can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 06/18/2006 | 1 | ||
| 2004 dutchman lite 24qb-ssi wiring melted causing smoke. battery powered appliances would not work unless plugged in. *kb the smoking began shortly after the consumer turned on the heat. the consumer started looking around and noticed that their was no battery power. after some investigation it was determined that no power was getting to the distribution panel from the batteries. the main loom that runs under the trailer had burned and fused together. *nm | |||
| 05/29/2005 | 10000 | 1 | 05/15/2004 |
| I do not know if this complaint belongs with nhtsa or another agency. the issue involves the 120 volt ac wiring of a travel trailer (recreational vehicle) and would not pose a hazard while the vehicle is in motion. specific trailer model is a dutchmen aerolite a30bhsl; this is not listed in the drop-down boxes as a model selection. i do not have the vin with me (it's in my tow vehicle at home, can be provided upon request). i do have a series of digital photos (unretouched) that show the affected area. after a trip with my trailer, i parked it at home and started investigating an overload in my 12 volt system. i could not find any issues with the 120 v ac to 12 v dc converter. however, i found a burned wire nut on the floor of my trailer. investigating further, i found that the 120 v ac wiring appears to have arced resistively (hot to green safety ground) underneath the dinette in the slide-out room. i use these specific terms because no circuit breaker was tripped and the wire nuts show obvious signs of burns. the trailer manufacturer used an soj (extension cord) type cable between two junction boxes, and this cable is not secured anywhere between or inside the two junction boxes. only the wire nuts holding the three conductors of the soj cable to the romex fixed wiring hold this cable in place. the cable is used because it is linking the stationary trailer floor with the slide-out room. i think that the circuit arced because of the movement of the slide-out room pulling the soj cable. i have owned the trailer for just over a year and have deployed and retracted the slide-out room dozens of times--it's necessary to do so to use the trailer as a temporary living quarters. the trailer is at an rv dealer (poulsbo rv, ridgefield washington) right now, being repaired. i have voiced my opinion to the dealer that i think this is a poor design that could be unsafe, and have asked them to contact the manufacturer to have the repairs done at no charge. | |||
| EQUIPMENT | |||
| 08/21/2010 | |||
| We have purchased a used camper which includes a samsung microwave which starts without pushing any buttons. this has occurred 3 different times and a serious fire hazard. apparently the former owner did not respond to the recall for this appliance. i have found evidence online from other camper owners who have had the identical experience. samsung serial #71qn904973k, model #mr5493g. please direct me to someone who can help. thanks | |||
| 08/19/2003 | 900 | 5 | 07/13/2003 |
| On aug 19, 2003 had to replace tire abd brake on alko axle. oct 15, 2003 replace two tires and brakes much damage to trailer that winter alko paid to have in aligned 1 1/4 out of line but did not replace axle! 2005 august brake failure again and now needed a complete $500 brake replacement of all shoes with around 12,000 on trailer. dutchmen said never had this find of problem! *tr | |||
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE | |||
| 08/21/2010 | |||
| We have purchased a used camper which includes a samsung microwave which starts without pushing any buttons. this has occurred 3 different times and a serious fire hazard. apparently the former owner did not respond to the recall for this appliance. i have found evidence online from other camper owners who have had the identical experience. samsung serial #71qn904973k, model #mr5493g. please direct me to someone who can help. thanks | |||
| EQUIPMENT - RECREATIONAL VEHICLE - LPG SYSTEMS | |||
| 10/18/2005 | 3 | 10/14/2005 | |
| Dt: the consumer had a problem with the travel trailer. while using the trailer, a failure on the right front tire occurred. the front tire was rubbing against the rear tire which caused the tire to blow out, and the tread to separate. he replaced the tire with a spare tire until he could reach a tire dealer. the tire dealer advised him that the other tires were about to do the same thing. when the consumer contacted the tire manufacturer,they said that there was no warranty on the tires and there was nothing they could do. the consumer had another safety concern with the trailer in which while replacing the tires, he found a soft copper tubing that had gone through the wheel well. this tubing connected the gas line to the water heater. there was no shield or covering for this tubing. the consumer had not contacted the service dealer or the manufacturer to inform them of this concern. *ak (11/29/05) the consumer was also concerned with the fact that when the trailer was being towed, the lp gas had turned on. the consumer felt that this was extremely hazardous. *sc | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE HUBS | |||
| 08/28/2007 | 13995 | 7 | 07/09/2003 |
| I looked out my right mirror and sparks were coming out of the back right wheel. i was able to pull of into the right lane and take the exit in forest lake, mn to highway 8. i quickly stopped my wife told me to turn off the gas before we had a fire. i called coach-net and they dispatched a service truck to come a install my spare. we were able to limp back to duluth. the next day, august 29th. i took the camper back to bullyans for an estimate of the damage. when bullyan?s was inspecting the camper for an estimate they found this there was damage to the refrigerator gas line and that if i had not turned it off we would have probably had a fire. later this fall the camper was taken down to maney international. the rear axle was manufactured 1? out of alignment. dutchman told bullyan there were done with this unit and that they should contact also the axle manufacture. they have agreed to send a new axle which has been installed, but i will have to pay the labor for installing the axle and shipping for the return the axle to see if they will pay any of the labor. also has refused to play for the alignment which showed the axle to be out of align 1?. bullyan also asked them about aligning the new axle and they said it was not necessary since they are aligned at the factory! we really need to take the camper back to maneys, but also has refused to pay for the first alignment or the one we need now! i have had twenty ?two (22) different tires on the four wheels. the right rear axle will had four different backing plate units. it has been aligned two different times. it really needs it again! i have a total of less that 14,000 miles and replaced the brake controller, but we still continue to have axle and brake problems. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 10/18/2005 | 3 | 10/14/2005 | |
| Dt: the consumer had a problem with the travel trailer. while using the trailer, a failure on the right front tire occurred. the front tire was rubbing against the rear tire which caused the tire to blow out, and the tread to separate. he replaced the tire with a spare tire until he could reach a tire dealer. the tire dealer advised him that the other tires were about to do the same thing. when the consumer contacted the tire manufacturer,they said that there was no warranty on the tires and there was nothing they could do. the consumer had another safety concern with the trailer in which while replacing the tires, he found a soft copper tubing that had gone through the wheel well. this tubing connected the gas line to the water heater. there was no shield or covering for this tubing. the consumer had not contacted the service dealer or the manufacturer to inform them of this concern. *ak (11/29/05) the consumer was also concerned with the fact that when the trailer was being towed, the lp gas had turned on. the consumer felt that this was extremely hazardous. *sc | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 10/23/2008 | 4000 | 1 | |
| Frame failure on a travel trailer. i noticed upon return of my last camping trip that i was able to move the tongue of the trailer up and down around 3 inches. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - MULTIPLE AXLE | |||
| 09/01/2006 | 2 | 05/10/2004 | |
| I have a 2004 aerolite cub 236 travel trailer manufactured by dutchmen. the tires have been wearing on the inside. research on the internet showed many others (various brands of mfg's.) with the same problem. further research showed the manufacturer of the axles : al-ko kober corp. 21611 protecta dr. p.o. box 1367 (46515) elkhart, in 46516 (574) 294-6651 is aware of a manufacturing welding defect in the years of 2003-2004 on their rubber torsion axles. many have stated al-ko has replaced their axles due to this defect. the dutchmen warranty is up on the travel trailer but al-ko has a 5 year warranty on their axles. i contacted al-ko and they sent me 2 replacement axles under warranty. i am to replace the axles and tires at my expense. al-ko might honor tire and labor reimbursement if i ship the old axles and tires back to al-ko at my expense for inspection. this is the case whether i do the work or i have a dealer perform the work. the al-ko packing slip that came with the two axles states this is a warranty replacement and to bill the axles to aero coach in indiana. i have contacted dutchmen mfg. and they have not heard of such a thing as them being billed for a warranty item. they are looking into this on their end. in the mean time there are many trailers out there blowing tires due to these defective axles. when i asked why there has not been a safety recall i got no response other than where do you want the axles shipped to? i have two new axles and 5 worn tires that i do not feel i should replace at my expense. i do not feel this is the trailer manufacturer's problem rather it is the axle manufacturer defect. there is no listing for al-ko kober so i had to file this under dutchmen. *jb | |||
| TIRES | |||
| 08/16/2006 | 3 | 09/03/2003 | |
| Over the last two years i have experienced four tire blowouts on my 2004 5th wheel rv. the first tire that blew i just took it as possible road hazard. this year enroute to new york on vacation, i had a tire blow out on the rv. i replaced it with a spare. on the way back home i had one rear tire on driver side of rv blow out and the other rear tire on passenger side lose all the tread in the middle of tire. i started checking into the problem and have found two problems. i have al ko axles, which i found are a possible defect. i contacted al ko ref. the problem and they sent two new axles, but when i questioned them they stated they had no recall as they could not say if the axles were a problem or if there were some other problem. the trailer repair shop stated that the axles taken off were flat, compared to the new axles that have a slight bow to them. i understand having the bow is the way they are suppose to be. the other problem which i find occurr quite frequently is carlisle tires blowing out. i have experienced four carlisle tires blowing out. they each had proper air in them 80 psi, and the weight of the trailer was under the weight. the tires were sent back to carlisle and they stated that it was due to road hazards. i did finally get them to send me a check for the replacement of the tires, but again no repair of the damages. dutchman completely has washed their hands of this problem. *nm | |||
| 09/01/2006 | 2 | 05/10/2004 | |
| I have a 2004 aerolite cub 236 travel trailer manufactured by dutchmen. the tires have been wearing on the inside. research on the internet showed many others (various brands of mfg's.) with the same problem. further research showed the manufacturer of the axles : al-ko kober corp. 21611 protecta dr. p.o. box 1367 (46515) elkhart, in 46516 (574) 294-6651 is aware of a manufacturing welding defect in the years of 2003-2004 on their rubber torsion axles. many have stated al-ko has replaced their axles due to this defect. the dutchmen warranty is up on the travel trailer but al-ko has a 5 year warranty on their axles. i contacted al-ko and they sent me 2 replacement axles under warranty. i am to replace the axles and tires at my expense. al-ko might honor tire and labor reimbursement if i ship the old axles and tires back to al-ko at my expense for inspection. this is the case whether i do the work or i have a dealer perform the work. the al-ko packing slip that came with the two axles states this is a warranty replacement and to bill the axles to aero coach in indiana. i have contacted dutchmen mfg. and they have not heard of such a thing as them being billed for a warranty item. they are looking into this on their end. in the mean time there are many trailers out there blowing tires due to these defective axles. when i asked why there has not been a safety recall i got no response other than where do you want the axles shipped to? i have two new axles and 5 worn tires that i do not feel i should replace at my expense. i do not feel this is the trailer manufacturer's problem rather it is the axle manufacturer defect. there is no listing for al-ko kober so i had to file this under dutchmen. *jb | |||
| 06/15/2006 | 2 | ||
| I own a 2004 dutchman 5th wheel rv. the tires on it are carlisle brand. since its purchase 2 years ago, i have had 2 blowouts and carlisle/dutchman replaced all 4 tires and spare saying tires were defective. i was pleased and went on. my trailer is large, almost 11000 lbs dry. i have always thought it strange to have d load range tires since my dodge diesel has e load range tires. on june 15th 2006 i was traveling home from vacation when a tire blew a large hole in it. i dropped the spare and mounted it. it was then i realized the spare carlisle had given me was an e rated tire. i noticed it did not sag under load same as other 3 tires. when i got home, i bought a new replacement tire. i was told that size tire was standard in 10 ply e rated. on my trailer, there is a stamped plate with tire specs that show 235/85r16 (e) at 80 lbs pressure. i contacted my rv dealer, he said it seemed strange that it would have d rated that only inflate to 65 lbs. he contacted manufacture who contacted carlisle tires. carlisle says they were out of e rated tires at that time so they built a d rated tire that actually holds more weight than an e rated and the tires are suited for my rig. it looks to me like my tires are coming apart again though i may be paranoid at this point. they do not appear to be wearing even. i just replaced my truck tires after 65000 miles because i pay close attention to my tires. i think carlisle is misrepresenting these tires and that they could pose a safety hazard since they are holding up a 11000 lb. vehicle. *nm | |||
| 10/18/2005 | 3 | 10/14/2005 | |
| Dt: the consumer had a problem with the travel trailer. while using the trailer, a failure on the right front tire occurred. the front tire was rubbing against the rear tire which caused the tire to blow out, and the tread to separate. he replaced the tire with a spare tire until he could reach a tire dealer. the tire dealer advised him that the other tires were about to do the same thing. when the consumer contacted the tire manufacturer,they said that there was no warranty on the tires and there was nothing they could do. the consumer had another safety concern with the trailer in which while replacing the tires, he found a soft copper tubing that had gone through the wheel well. this tubing connected the gas line to the water heater. there was no shield or covering for this tubing. the consumer had not contacted the service dealer or the manufacturer to inform them of this concern. *ak (11/29/05) the consumer was also concerned with the fact that when the trailer was being towed, the lp gas had turned on. the consumer felt that this was extremely hazardous. *sc | |||
| 10/14/2005 | 2 | 02/29/2004 | |
| For our first long distant trip from nc to tx in our 2004 victory lane dutchmen 35srv 5th wheel camper, we checked all tires (carlisle lt235 85r16) and pressure before leaving. this was on 03/21/2005 when the first blowout occurred that ended up causing over $1800.00 in damage and we had less than 500 miles on all the tires. we had been traveling at about 60-65 mph on i-40. the tire completely separated and blew apart. had to pull over 3 lanes on i-40 to the shoulder and change the tire which was close to winston-salem at an exit ramp that had a bottle neck of traffic at rush hour. we changed the tire and had to look for another spare to buy. on the way back from tx to nc, we had another blowout of carlisle tire #2 almost in the same location. we still had under 2000 miles on the tires. had to look and pay for another spare tire. only made a couple more local trips after that to the nearest campground until 10/14/2005. we made a trip to myrtle beach about 155 miles away. we had traveled about 100 miles going about 50 mph when a blowout of carlisle tire #3. changed tire with spare and was looking to buy anther spare when another blowout of carlisle #4 happened about 30 minutes later. no spare this time. we were in the middle of nowhere and could not get off the road. there was no shoulder to move to. we got lucky and a man came buy on a tractor and helped us get to a place to get a tire. this cost us most of that vacation day just changing and looking for tires. and we still had under 3000 miles on the oldest tires that had a blowout. we have not been reimbursed for any costs associated with the tire problems and it has caused my insurance company to raise my premiums and cede my policy to the nc insurance facility. from what i have read on other forums, these tires are a very poor quality/defective and it is only a matter of time before there is a serious injury. *nm | |||
| 06/29/2005 | 06/25/2003 | ||
| Leaving from home on june 29, 2005 for camping 4 hours away. our dutchmen 5th wheel is 2 years old and we have camped in it around our area 5 times since we purchased it. we were travling down i-40 when we heard a loud bang, didn't think it was us since our tires were new. i looked in the side mirror and saw insulation and knew a tire had exploded. we pulled over, my husband put on the spare, got back on the road. about 30 minutes later a second tire exploded. we made it to an exit and a super center wal-mart. the other tires at that point had developed an orange tint to them. after the mechanic inspected them, we were advised not to travel any further on the remaining tires. at that point we had 4 brand new tires put on. there has been damage done underneath our camper. our camper dealer has faxed an estimate of damages to carlisle tire & wheel. we also saved the tires and ups picked them up and delivered them back to carlisle tire & wheel. i have filed a complaint with the tire company and sent them all the documentation. now i'm waiting on a response and was not given a time frame as to when that will be. | |||
| 05/08/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving front/rear passenger side tire blew out. consumer managed to pull over and changed the tire. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. dunlop, carli, 235/85r16. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 05/25/2007 | 2 | 02/05/2005 | |
| Tire failure on 2004 dutchmen classic 29 ft 5th wheel trailer purchased new in feb 2005. first failure may 25,2007 second failure sept 15,2007 with results of damage to skirt over tires. called youngbloods rv center in paducah, ky where we bought the 5th wheel and they said to call dutchmen, the manufacturer. dutchmen said to call carlisle tires and rims. the tire size is st 225 75r 15 radial trail. carlisle said two years warranty from time of purchase even though the tires had 1100 miles on them . we feel the tires are seriously defective and two blow outs out of three outings is simply too much. and no one seem to care about customer service or defective tires. they more or less said your problem. *jb | |||
| 06/16/2007 | 1 | ||
| While traveling home towing a 2004 four winds fifth wheel trailer on i-95 front passenger side tire ,carlisle radial trail, st225/75r15, blew out on tread area. original equipment on trailer, carlisle tires have a reputation for blowing out, and i thought possibly there might be a recall ,but i could not locate one on the web. less than 3000 miles on tires. blow out/ messed up skirting on the side of the trailer. *ak | |||
| 09/30/2005 | 3 | 10/01/2003 | |
| Dt: the consumer stated that while using the travel trailer, one of the tires blew out. approximately two weeks later, two other tires blew out. the tires had not been inspected to determine the cause of the failure. the tires were manufactured by carlisle tire and rubber co, lt radial. the serial numbers were b36cdb80895, b36aan0360, and b36cdb0870. *ak (12/05/05) *sc | |||
| 02/13/2005 | 1 | 04/19/2004 | |
| Of 5 (5) tires on our travel trailer, four of them blew in less than one year. two in one weekend.*ak | |||
| 06/18/2004 | 1750 | 4 | 02/15/2004 |
| 2 of the 4 tires on our 2004 four winds (dutchmen) winners circle 5th wheel rv 35 foot unit. tires were made by carlisle (radial trail 16 series), and after research it was found these certain tires (ours included) had a history of failures. both tires failed causing blowouts, 1 tire was nearly disengrated, the other had a section 7x12 missing from it. the other two had not blown out, but after they were inspected by a tire dealer, it was noted they would have failed shortly was noted they failed due to tread separation. caused massive damage ($3-5k possibly more) damage to trailer. due to weight of trailer (not overloaded - was being hauled nearly empty), frame damage may have occured as there are signs of the frame having twisted. failures happens 315 miles aparts, and the tires had less than 2000 miles on them, all pressures were noted as good and in operating/load range. a 4 tires were replaced with 4 like tires from bf goodrich. it is unknown if there were any injuries or damages to other cars from debris or parts from trailer yet. speed of travel was around 60-65 on a flat level surface. all four tires failed, the 2 that blew out were the: front right, and rear left tires. *la | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZ | MESA | 85379 | BEAUDRY RV | 480-385-4000 |
| GA | APPLING | 30802 | TOWN AND COUNTRY RV CENTER | 706-309-9228 |
| IN | GOSHEN | 46526 | DUTCHMENMFG | 574-537-0700 |
| KY | PADUCAH | 4200 | YOUNGBLOODS RV SUPERCENTER | 270 443-8211 |
| MN | DULUTH | 55811 | BULLYAN RV | 1-800-955-4945 |
| NC | SANFORD | SANDHILLS RV | ||
| NC | STATESVILLE | HOLIDAY KAMPER | ||
| NY | CALEDONIA | 14423 | MYERS RV SUPERSTORE | 866-240-2079 |
| WA | RIDGEFIELD | 98642 | POULSBO RV | 360-573-2828 |