2020 Keystone Alpine

Unit has suffered damage to the chassis due to frame flex. An attempted repair was made by the manufacturer during the winter of 2023/2024 but again failed during the summer of 2024. RV was taken to a local dealer where a “Flex test” was conducted, unit failed the test as it exceeded the manufacturers tolerances. Unit has since been parked at the dealership while I battle the manufacturer on an attempted solution. This frame flex and failure is industry wide and affecting many RV’s.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250 hauling a 2020 Keystone Alpine equipped with HiSpec Tires, Tire Line: JURL4, Tire Size: ST235/80/R16, DOT Number: 041JUHPRL. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and going uphill, the front driver’s side and rear passenger’s side tires sustained blowouts. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The tires were original equipment. The vehicle manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The tire manufacturer was notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was 7,000. The vehicle failure mileage was 43,000.

The sidewall of the camper is cracking at the front, lower corner of the left front slide out. This could be an indication of a major structural issue within the wall of the camper. This crack is located in an area of high stress due to the design of the 5th wheel camper. If the structure fails while the camper is being towed at highway speed, a catastrophic event would occur endangering my life and possibly the lives of other motorists. These seems to be a known, recurring issue in many Keystone/Alpine 5th wheel campers around this model year. My camper is available for inspection and repair. I just found the crack yesterday (4/2/2024) so no inspection has been done by the manufacturer or repair service. The movement causing the crack appears to be somewhat minimal (though I have no proven way to measure the movement) at this time but I’m afraid it will get worse and lead to a catastrophic failure. It certainly won’t get any better without repair.

The contact owns a 2020 Keystone Alpine RV. The contact stated that the hydraulic jacks were scraping on the roadway while driving at highway speeds. The contact had taken the RV to the dealer who replaced the driver’s side front jack however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that all the other jacks also experienced the failure. The trailer had not been taken to the dealer. The contact placed an eye bolt with an A-clevis to hold up the jacks until able to get the trailer to the dealer. The dealer was informed of the failure and an upcoming appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000.