Winnebago Caused Rust: Need Names!!!

[ExitStrategy]

I have just experienced the dreaded Winnebago rust issue first hand. My coach is a a 2005 Itasca Meridian (same as Winnebago Journey) that is stored 95% of the time in an insulated garage in Southern California. My rig has only seen a few rainstorms and has never seen a snowfall or a salted road. Despite it's easy life, the steel frames behind both front windshields developed rust that was severe enough to break both windshield panes. The lower four lower metal positioning brackets were heavily rusted because they were installed with no rust protection or even paint. That rust spread to the lower part of the frame around all four brackets. The upper frame rail was severely rusted where someone at the Winnebago factory had scribed what appeared to be a window alignment line through the paint. The upper molding allowed water through and it sat against the steel and caused rust.

Winnebago's response to my letter of concern has been typical, in that they claimed no responsibility or liability and are trying to hide behind their 12 month warranty. My feeling is that they caused these problems and should be held accountable. The average cost of this repair is running $1,500 to $4,000 per incident. We paid far too much for our coaches to be ignored in this fashion.

Here is the tricky part: Although there are numerous instances online of this rust occuring, my attorney says that it will be difficult to find an attorney to file a class action suit on a contingent recovery basis. That might change if we can find someone who has been injured as a result of the rust issue. My belief is that if the rust became severe enough, that the frame could literally fall out along with the glass at some point.

Because this is an over-the-road issue, my attorney has advised that it should be brought to the attention of both the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a means to press Winnebago to recall any and all coaches that could be affected. In my mind, this would be a far more effective method of righting this wrong than trying to organize a court case. The costs of a recall program could be severe for Winnebago and hopefully they will learn to treat their customers with a little more respect.

I believe that someone needs to move forward and make Winnebago stop hiding behind their short warranty. They have caused a tremendous amount of cost to both owners and insurance companies with all of the glass and metal repair that has been needed because of their negligence on the manufacturing line.

Please, if you are not affected - Do not reply to this thread. But if you have been affected in the past, or suspect that your coach may have rust in its windshield frames, please send your contact info and details to me at: markhamburg@sbcglobaldotcom (DON'T USE THE LINK! Please use an actual . in place of 'dot' - This is just to keep automated spammers away).

This is not going to be a quick task, but I am willing to do the legwork in order to get this process started. Also, please ask any other Winnebago owners you know to visit this thread. Coaches can easily be inspected for rust by removing the window side trim pieces. No glass has to come out. Inspect the top rail from the side. Also, just because you see black sealant, don't think it will stop the rust - The rust goes right under the sealer). If you have had a mysterious glass crack with no impact sign, you most likely have rust. If not removed and sealed, the rust could become severe enough to cause the whole front cap to have to come off for a proper repair. Something like that could easily cost $10,000 and would most likely not be covered by your insurance policy.

Once the list is complete, I will notify those who have corresponded that the request for a recall has been delivered to the above two agencies.

Thank you for your help with this matter.

[lwasouth]

I have a 2005 Itasca Horizon. Both windshields cracked about 5 inches from the center for an unknown reason.
When replacing the windshields, the replacement company said this is a common problem with Winnabago. They scrapped and sanded off the rust, put a special primer on the surface to stop the rust and to bond their sealer to.
No new rust, no leaks, no cracks, after about a year, all is OK. The rust situation is not good, but can be corrected so the damage will not continue

[jmckinley]

Your attorney is wrong. NHTSA will only initiate recalls on safety related issues. The definition is something like " potential to cause a sudden and unexpected loss of control of the vehicle". Rusty windshield frame doesn't fit that situation. Even if the windshield fell out while driving, you could still control the vehicle and get it to the side of the road.

[mrschwarz]

I haven't inspected my windshield yet, but I am currently in communication with them concerning the paint coming off the frames around the cargo hatches. I just lost a seal around the electrical compartment because, while the adhesive adhered the gasket to the paint, the paint didn't adhere to the metal.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by lwasouth

I have a 2005 Itasca Horizon. Both windshields cracked about 5 inches from the center for an unknown reason.
When replacing the windshields, the replacement company said this is a common problem with Winnabago. They scrapped and sanded off the rust, put a special primer on the surface to stop the rust and to bond their sealer to.
No new rust, no leaks, no cracks, after about a year, all is OK. The rust situation is not good, but can be corrected so the damage will not continue

The sealer might work for a time, but you will be out of pocket again when the rust resurfaces. The way the coach is built, it is impossible to remediate any rust that is not on the forward edge of the top frame because the fiberglass top cap butts right up to the metal at the top of that rail. If the rust has already reached the top or backside, there is no way to reach and repair it short of removing the cap or cutting into the painted fiberglass above the steel windshield frame.

If you believe this may be the case, please submit your contact info for inclusion in any possible recall/factory remediation.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by jmckinley

Your attorney is wrong. NHTSA will only initiate recalls on safety related issues. The definition is something like " potential to cause a sudden and unexpected loss of control of the vehicle". Rusty windshield frame doesn't fit that situation. Even if the windshield fell out while driving, you could still control the vehicle and get it to the side of the road.

John -

You are exactly correct - but only with regard to your definition. There are already situations with Winnebago owners who have described the condition of their metal window frames as "swiss cheese". The metal could conceivably become compromised enough to allow the whole windshield to fall onto the road during travel, potentially causing harm to the rv driver or other drivers. My attorney believes this situation could cause the "sudden and unexpected loss of control of the vehicle" that you describe.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by mrschwarz

I haven't inspected my windshield yet, but I am currently in communication with them concerning the paint coming off the frames around the cargo hatches. I just lost a seal around the electrical compartment because, while the adhesive adhered the gasket to the paint, the paint didn't adhere to the metal.

Although this situation does not fit squarely in the box, I am thinking that if the compartment you mention contains the rig's engine computer, and if water were able to get to that unit as a result of your failed seal, that might cause a sudden computer fail and simultaneous shutdown while driving. This too could potentially lead to "sudden loss of control."

If you would like to be included in an expanded recall request, please submit your contact info to me (see the OP for the email address).

[JimM68]

Lemme get this straight....

You want to "laywer up" and go after the manufacturer of a 6 year old motorhome that was sold with a 1 year warrantee?

And you don't wanna hear from anyone who doesn't own a rusty winnebago?

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by JimM68

Lemme get this straight....

You want to "laywer up" and go after the manufacturer of a 6 year old motorhome that was sold with a 1 year warrantee?

And you don't wanna hear from anyone who doesn't own a rusty winnebago?

No... That is exactly what my lawyer advised me NOT to do. He did advise me to notify the DOT and the NHTSA of the defects, which I will do.

This problem was present the day these coaches rolled out of the factory. Some were discovered early (particularly in the Eastern states) and some were discovered later (such as my coach, which has been garaged in sunny Southern California). I could care less how long the stated warranty period was, or how long it took to discover their defect - If a manufacturer does something on the assembly line that ultimately causes this kind of an issue, they need to be held accountable. Period.

I'll bet you're glad your Monaco doesn't have this issue.

[Knightly]

I have a 2007 Itasca, W24 chassis, 35', 3 slides; Toad: HHR. About one year ago I noticed a small water leak at the top centre of my two piece windshield. I have sinced checked and rechecked every possible leak source on the front cap, replaced all 5 clearance light gaskets, pressure tested the windshield, etc. No luck so far. I have removed the horizontal rubber trim strip exposing the top windshield seal. I then applied sealant along the top of the windshield as the water is leaking in from this area, however no luck.

Now, I have a RUST problem starting and there doesn't appear to be anything I can do about it. I am sure that I will eventually have to remove the entire windshield in order to clean up the rust areas!

Good luck, Knightly

[Chuck 1935]

Originally Posted by ExitStrategy

Please, if you are not affected - Do not reply to this thread. But if you have been affected in the past, or suspect that your coach may have rust in its windshield frames, please send your contact info and details to me at: markhamburg@sbcglobaldotcom (DON'T USE THE LINK! Please use an actual . in place of 'dot' - This is just to keep automated spammers away).

I did try to send you my info and followed your instuctions, but it came back.

[Beabop]

We have a 2004, in 05, we had a windshield broken by a rock, it was so rusty that it had to be sanded and painted before the new glass would adhere.

You ought to post your experience in the 2 Winnebago forums, contrary to what Jim may think, this is an ongoing problem which will lead to us changing to another manufacturer in future, one closer home as we have made that trip to Iowa 4 times with problems.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by Knightly

I have a 2007 Itasca, W24 chassis, 35', 3 slides; Toad: HHR. About one year ago I noticed a small water leak at the top centre of my two piece windshield. I have sinced checked and rechecked every possible leak source on the front cap, replaced all 5 clearance light gaskets, pressure tested the windshield, etc. No luck so far. I have removed the horizontal rubber trim strip exposing the top windshield seal. I then applied sealant along the top of the windshield as the water is leaking in from this area, however no luck.

Now, I have a RUST problem starting and there doesn't appear to be anything I can do about it. I am sure that I will eventually have to remove the entire windshield in order to clean up the rust areas!

Good luck, Knightly

Wow, I knew the Freightliner chassis were affected, but I did not know the Workhorse-based units were having trouble too. If yours is built like the FL-based units, Winnebago added the front cab frame at the factory and the windshield(s) are glued to that frame. Because of this, most windshields break when the removal attempt is made. On my rig, I had rubber molding strips at the top and bottom that click into a plastic channel. If yours is the same, you may try removing those first to perform an inspection. My rust appeared minimal at first, but when I removed the black window sealant, the rust was everywhere. The butyl 'glue' really isn't a rustproofer. If you do find rust, you will have to make a decision as to whether to pull and replace the glass now, so you can remediate the rust or wait until the rust cracks the windshields and hope for some insurance help.

Good luck. Please let us know what you find.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

I did try to send you my info and followed your instuctions, but it came back.

Try: [email protected]

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by Knightly

I have a 2007 Itasca, W24 chassis, 35', 3 slides; Toad: HHR. About one year ago I noticed a small water leak at the top centre of my two piece windshield. I have sinced checked and rechecked every possible leak source on the front cap, replaced all 5 clearance light gaskets, pressure tested the windshield, etc. No luck so far. I have removed the horizontal rubber trim strip exposing the top windshield seal. I then applied sealant along the top of the windshield as the water is leaking in from this area, however no luck.

Now, I have a RUST problem starting and there doesn't appear to be anything I can do about it. I am sure that I will eventually have to remove the entire windshield in order to clean up the rust areas!

Good luck, Knightly

Knightly -

Thank you for replying. If you do have rust, you may not want to wait too long. If you catch it early enough, you can grind, acid treat and seal, but if it gets behind where you can reach, the only alternative is going to be metal replacement. I do not think that can be done without removing the front cap. Rust is metal cancer - It just doesn't stop unless it's removed.

Good luck and sorry to hear about your situation.

[JimM68]

Originally Posted by ExitStrategy

I'll bet you're glad your Monaco doesn't have this issue.

Sometimes things just crack me up...

My 08 Monaco was built a year before Monaco RV went belly up, declared bankrupty, and had it's remaining assets bought by Navistar, who then formed Monaco LLC, and refused to honor warrantee claims on thousands of coaches, including many brand new ones owned by formers dealers.

Yes, I know exactly where I stand with the knight.
On My Own.

I'm out of this one, sorry to intrude, I don't have a horse in your race anyway.

[Jack1234]

Apologies for interrupting this thread but since the topic of "extended warranties" is so often debated on this forum ..... I have to ask....would something like this be covered?

[Chuck 1935]

Tried to respond to your E Mail and got this reply........

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<[email protected]>

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by Jack1234

Apologies for interrupting this thread but since the topic of "extended warranties" is so often debated on this forum ..... I have to ask....would something like this be covered?

You need to review the policy in question to see if it covers rust damage. Most extended warranty language that I have seen specifically lists the items that are covered; everything else is deemed to be not covered. I'd be anxious to know if rust damage or rust through were among the covered listed items.

If such a policy exists, it would be highly worthwhile to have on these rigs.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

Tried to respond to your E Mail and got this reply........

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<[email protected]>

Chuck - My bad! It should be '.net' ! I'll see if I can go back and fix the original post.

Thanks,

Mark