2009 Keystone Cougar

HELLO, I PURCHASED A 2009 KEYSTONE COUGAR 318SAB ON JUNE 7, 2013. DURING THE FINAL WALK THRU INSPECTION, I NOTICED THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER WAS CRACKED AND THE TIRE WOBBLING AROUND. THE DEALER, RUFF'S RV IN EUCLID, OH SAID THEY WOULD TRY TO GET ME A NEW SPARE TIRE CARRIER. A FEW WEEKS HAS GONE BY, AND I HAVE NO REPLACEMENT CARRIER. I THEN SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND A KEYSTONE SAFETY RECALL: 10V-063. THIS RECALL IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY UNIT, EXCEPT THAT I HAVE 15" TIRES INSTEAD OF 16" TIRES. I THEN CALLED KEYSTONE AND WAS TOLD MY RV IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I TOLD THE WOMAN THAT MY RV HAS THE EXACT PROBLEM AS THE RECALL, BUT SHE INSISTED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. HOW CAN THIS BE ALLOWED? SOMEONE COULD BE KILLED BECAUSE OF KEYSTONE'S NEGLIGENCE FOR NOT INCLUDING RV'S WITH 15" TIRES! IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE BY YOUR OFFICE TO CORRECT THIS? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME! *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT 60 MPH, I OBSERVED TRAILER WAS SITTING LOWER THAN NORMAL AND CLOSE TO BED OF TRUCK. ON STOPPING AND INSPECTING I OBSERVED PIN BOX WAS TILTED UPWARD AND NO LONGER LEVEL. IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND DISCONNECTED TRAILER. INSPECTED PINBOX AT FRAME AND FOUND STEEL TEARING AWAY FROM FRAME AT WELDS. FURTHER INSPECTION THROUGH REMOVAL OF SHROUD SHOWED FRONT CROSS MEMBER ARCHED UPWARD CLOSE TO 6 INCHES FROM HORIZONTAL. ENTIRE PINBOX NEARLY SEVERED FROM MAIN FRAME WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN TOTAL TRAILER SEPARATION AND PENITENTIAL DEATH AND INJURY TO OTHERS AND MYSELF. CONTACTED LOCAL CERTIFIED WELDER WHO STATED STEEL SHOWED SIGNS OF FATIGUE INDUCED BY INSUFFICIENT SIZE AND POOR WELDS. PORTIONS OF PINBOX WERE IMPROPERLY WELDED AND STEEL WAS IMPROPERLY SIZED. INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED ADDITIONAL FAILURES BY SAME FRAME MANUFACTURER LIPPERT COMPONENTS INCORPORATED WHICH WERE IDENTICAL IN PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE INTERNET. MANUFACTURER OF RV AND FRAME REFUSE TO EXAMINE DAMAGE OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY SINCE WARRANTY IS EXPIRED. *TR

THE AREA OF THE FRAME WHERE THE PIN BOX ATTACHES FAILED. ACCORDING TO THE REPAIR SHOP, THE WELDS WERE NOT DONE CORRECTLY WHEN IT WAS MANUFACTURED. MULTIPLE AREAS OF POOR WELD PENETRATION WERE EVIDENT IN THE FRAME FAILURE AREA, AND THE RESULTING FAILURE ALLOWED THE HITCH TO DISCONNECT FROM 75% OF ONE FRAME RAIL AND ABOUT 50% OF THE REMAINING FRAME RAIL. AN INTERNET SEARCH HAS REVEALED MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF SIMILAR FAILURE OF LIPPERT COMPONENTS FRAMES USED BY VARIOUS MANUFACTURES. ACCORDING TO THE REPAIR SHOP THIS SAME PROBLEM WAS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL IN 1999 ON CARRIAGE 5TH WHEEL TRAILERS.