1999 Fleetwood Bounder

THE CUMMINS 275 HP ENGINE DERATES POWER AND IMEDIATELY DROPS SPEED OF VEHILE TO AROUND 30MHP. ON THREE OF THE FAILURES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. THIS IS SOMEWHAT OF AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM HOWEVER, CUMMINS CANNOT SEEM TO FIND AN ANSWER FOR THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE REPLACED A FUEL PUMP, SENOR AND A LIFT PUMP. DURING ONE FAILURE WE WERE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC GOING THROUGH ROAD CONSTRUCTION AREA AND THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER NEARLY CAUSED A COLLISON. THE UNIT IS NOT ONLY UNSAFE DURING THESE TIMES BUT WE HAVE LOSS ALL FAITH IN THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL TRIPS AND EACH TIME IT HAS BROKEN DOWN. ON THE WAY BACK FROM LAS VEGAS THE ALERT SYSTEM ON LEVELING JACKS SOUNDED WHILE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THE ALERT STATED THE JACKS WERE EXTENDING TO GROUND, FOUND DIESEL FUEL LEAKING FROM FUEL CONNECTION ON GENERATOR AND FOUN ALMOST A PINT OF FUEL INSIDE FUEL CONNECTION COMPARTMENT. I HAVE FILED A LEMON LAW ACTION AGAINST FLEETWOOD ENTERPRIZES AND HAS OF THIS DATE IT IS STILL UNRESOLVED. *AK

AFTER DRIVING 1 TO 2 HOURS IN THE RAIN ON INTERSTATE I-90 AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE ENGINE TOTALLY LOST POWER AS A RESULT OF THE AIR FILTER HOUSING AND AIR FILTER TOTALLY BECAME SATURATED WITH WATER AND THE ENGINE COULD NOT GET AIR FOR COMBUSTION. I CONTACTED FORD'S MOTOR HOME CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE AND THEIR REP TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT OCCURS WHEN THESE UNITS ARE DRIVEN IN THE RAIN FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. THEY SAID CHANGE THE AIR FILTER, DRY OUT THE AIR CLEANRE HOUSING AND WAIT UNTIL IT STOPS RAINING BEFORE DRIVING FURTHER, THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT FORD IS AWARE OF BUT HAS NOT DEVELOPED A FIX FOR AND THEY HAVEN'T EVEN NOTIFIED THEIR DEALER NETWORK ABOUT IT. YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION TO FORCE A RAPID FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK

(1) FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC. INITIATED A SAFETY RECALL WITH NHTSA IN JANUARY, 1999. I WAS TOLD THIS BY JOHN SAATHOFF, FLEETWOOD ENGINEERING, RIVERSIDE, CA. US CODE SAYS A NEW VEHICLE CANNOT BE SOLD UNTIL THE SAFETY DEFECT IS CORRECTED. FLEETWOOD TOLD ME THAT ALL DEALERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL BY MARCH 15, 1999. POULSBO RV DID NOT INFORM US OF THE RECALL UNTIL AFTER WE BOUGHT THE MOTORHOME. HAD THEY DONE SO, WE WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT. (2) THE SLIDEIN-SLIDE -IN DOES NOT FIT PROPERLY, ALLOWING CARBON MONOXIDE TO COME IN TO THE INTERIOR WHEN THE 110 VOLT GENERATOR IS OPERATED. THIS PROBLEM EXISTED A YEAR BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT; THE VEHICLE HAD EVEN BEEN RETURNED TO THE FACTORY FOR REPAIRS TO THE SLIDE-IN CAMPER ROOM. THE REPAIRS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND ATTEMPTS BY THE DEALER, POULSBO RV, HAVE ALSO BEEN TO NO AVAIL. CARBON MONOXIDE STILL LEAKS IN AND SETS OFF THE CO DETECTOR IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, UNLESS THERE IS A STRONG WIND TO BLOW THE EXHAUST AWAY. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT IT LEAKS IN THROUGH THE BEDROOM WINDOW (WHEN THE WINDOW IS CLOSED) BECAUSE OF THE WINDOW FRAME DESIGN, AND THAT THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION. THIS IS UNSAFE AND DEADLY AND PREVENTS USE OF APPLIANCES UNLESS PLUGGED INTO SHORE POWER. *AK