2015 Shasta Airflyte

The entire front panel of my Shasta Airflyte travel trailer is separating from the pine bracing where the dinette is, creating a 2” gap at the floor where rodents and water could get in. It appears the screws meant to attach the panel to the bracing are sheared off or improperly installed. The separating front panel is resting on the propane tank which could create a safety hazard. I believe there is a technical service bulletin issued from the manufacturer to address this defect, but it should be noted that this is still an ongoing problem. The trailer is available for inspection, but hasn’t yet been seen by a dealer or insurance agent.

The Shasta Airflyte trailer is clad in aluminum metal sheathing called a skin. The metal skins on the doors are held by a rubber spline molding but no screws or fasteners. The trailer door needs a decent amount of force to open/close which creates some flex so the metal skin gets loose and had popped out over the spline in a couple places. I noticed it a couple months ago but shoved it back under the spline as intended, and that seemed to fix it. The spline molding seemed to be in normal working condition, there weren’t obvious signs of wear or failure, I just think it’s a bad design and inadequate manufacturing. While I was driving down the road at maybe 40-50 mph, the bottom aluminum skin on the door ripped clear off and landed on the road. That panel is roughly 24”x30”. The upper panel skin also came loose and was flapping in the wind against the trailer until I was able to make an emergency stop and remove it. This put myself and the drivers around me at risk of flying metal obstructions on the road. I did some research and this problem has happened to other Shasta Airflyte owners but no recall has been made. The door and upper panel are available for inspection. I didn’t file a police report but might make an insurance claim, so it has not yet been inspected. There was no prior warning that the skin was loose and not securely attached. I was not driving in extreme conditions.

CONCERNED THAT THE CHASSIS, FLOOR AND FRONT WALL MAY HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENTLY FASTENED TOGETHER. TSB: 53-0597 IN PLACE WITH 2 "KITS" RECOMMENDED. WITH RECOMMEND FIX I AM WORRIED ABOUT ALL THE WEIGHT AND TORQUE THAT WOULD BE APPLIED TO A BOLT ON FIX. SHASTA/FOREST RIVER SAID THAT A FLEXING FRAME IS OK AND GAPS ARE NORMAL. CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND SAFETY OF OTHERS WHEN WE TOW. INFORMED OF PROBLEM APPROXIMATELY OCT. 2017. *BF *BF *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SHASTA AIRFLYTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT PIECES OF THE FRAME (WHERE IT WAS WELDED) HAD DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE TORQUE/FRAME WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE SHASTA/RIVERFOREST MANUFACTURER IS WORKING WITH THE FRAME MANUFACTURE TO PROVIDE A FIX FOR THE BODY/FRAME; HOWEVER, A REMEDY HAD NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 300. *TT *TR

THERE IS UNSAFE ASSEMBLY OF THE SHASTA AIRFLYTE 2015 SUPPORT FRAME AS THE WELDS ARE IN ADEQUATE AND SOMETIMES ONLY WELDING TACKS HOLDING THE FRONT BRACE. THERE IS QUESTION WHETHER THE FRAME IS EVEN ATTACHED TO THE CHASSIS CORRECTLY. THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE MIGHT BE THAT THE FRONT LATERAL STRING ON THE FRAME IS NOTCHED TO LAY DOWN ACROSS THE TONGUE CHANNEL SO THERE IS NO LOAD BALANCING CAPABILITY. THE THREE SECTIONS UNDERNEATH THAT ARE NOT WELDED TO THE TONGUE CHANNEL. THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF SEPARATION FROM THE FRAME BECAUSE THERE IS A TECHNICAL ISSUE WITH THE SELF--TAPPING SCREWS USED TO ATTACH THE BODY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THOSE THAT ARE CAMPER RESTORATION EXPERTS THAT THIS IS UNSAFE AND POSSES A RISK TO OTHERS ON THE ROAD AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE ITSELF. OURS EVEN HAS EXPOSED WOOD THAT IS ROTTING BECAUSE OF SUCH EXPOSURE TO WATER BECAUSE THE BODY IS COMING APART FROM THE FRAME. PLEASE HELP US MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A VIABLE FIX OR REPLACEMENT FOR THIS PROBLEM. CARFAX CANNOT PROCESS THIS REQUEST. UPDATED 10/5/18*JB

RE: 2015 SHASTA RE-ISSUE. MY TRAILER, ALONG WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED OTHER TRAILERS, HAS A FRAME THAT IS NOT WELDED TOGETHER. THERE ARE PLACES WHERE THE GAP BETWEEN THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL BEAMS IS OVER TWO INCHES - NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO CONNECT THE BEAMS. IN A FEW PLACES, THE WELDS APPEAR TO BE MADE ON JUST ONE OF THE BEAMS, BUT NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO CONNECT IT WELD TO THE ADJACENT BEAM. FOREST RIVER (THE OEM) HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE SITUATION, THE INITIAL REPAIR IS TO BOLT A PIECE OF METAL TO THE TWO BEAMS. THE PICTURE SELECTED SHOWS THE GAP BETWEEN THE BEAM ON THE FRONT RIGHT OF THE TRAILER, OTHER CORNERS (WELDS) ARE SIMILAR. I AM A RETIRED AIRFRAME STRUCTURAL ENGINEER (LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP ON THE F-117A) AND KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT A VALID REPAIR. PLEASE ASSIST ME, AND THE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS, IN GETTING THE CORRECT REPAIRS THAT WILL NOT ONLY WORK FOR TODAY, BUT FOR YEARS TO COME.

THE FRAME AND WELDING ON MY TRAILER IS FAULTY. THE TONGUE AND FRAME ASSEMBLY HAS SEPARATED, CAUSING THE BODY TO FAIL. IT CAUSED THE FRONT BODY/WALL TO SEPARATE FROM THE BENCH SEATS BY OVER AN INCH WITH EXPOSED SCREWS AND STAPLES. THE SKIN ON THE OUTSIDE IS BUCKLING ON THE FRONT, RUBBING ON THE PROPANE BOTTLE AREA, AND HAS A CLEAR FOLD AT THE BOTTOM NEAR WHERE THE FRAME GOES UNDER THE SKIN. IN ONE SIDE WHERE THE SKIN HAS BUCKLED, IT IS BENT SO MUCH THE SKIN HAS FOLDED AND HAS A STRESS FRACTURE. THE SIDE SKINS ARE ALSO STARTING TO BUCKLE A BIT SINCE THE FRONT IS DIPPING SO BAD AND DUE TO THIS, THE MAIN DOOR IS STARTING TO STICK AND GIVE US TROUBLE OPENING AND EGRESSING. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER ON OCTOBER 6, 2017. I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM SHASTA SINCE OCTOBER 23, 2017, WHEN THEY GLOSSED OVER THIS PROBLEM, TELLING ME "WE NEED TO GET SOME BACKER INSTALLED INTO THE FRONT WALL. THIS IS A PRETTY SIMPLE TASK. I WILL TRY TO LOCATE A DEALER NEAR YOU, TO DO THIS. PLEASE SEND ME YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS." I SENT MY ADDRESS TWO DAYS LATER AND NEVER HEARD BACK.