Cabinet latches on View

[Stumpdog]

Has anyone had problems with their overhead cabinet latches breaking on their View. We had to replace at least 6 latches on our 2016 View. We even email Winnebago Corp. and was told that they still use the same latches even on new models. I would welcome any suggestions about other types of cabinet latches.

[luvlabs]

I've not had any problems and I'm really curious what part could possibly be breaking. Do you slam your doors closed or do you shut them gently - just curious.

[ElCampo]

Yes, same thing on our 2016 view. The problem is cheap build quality. Particle board cabinets and less than mindful installation. It looks nice when new but isn't built to last. I'm going to end up filling the holes with wood epoxy and remounting the hardware.

[luvlabs]

If you have screws that have pulled out, the easiest way to fix them is a wooden match stick with a dab of wood glue. All fixed in two seconds.

[Old Crows]

'Labs.....you rascal! You stole my idea!

[TriGlider]

Those locks are very easy to not be fully released while pulling on the door to open it. I had to work with my wife on making sure she's fully depressed the latches before trying to open the door. Same thing on closing it making sure she doesn't slam it shut. Going on 3 years without a problem now. We saw many latches broken at various dealerships from new shoppers trying to open the doors without fully understanding how the latches work. By the way I thought match sticks and glue was part of any DIY toolkit...

[bkg]

Originally Posted by Stumpdog

Has anyone had problems with their overhead cabinet latches breaking on their View. We had to replace at least 6 latches on our 2016 View. We even email Winnebago Corp. and was told that they still use the same latches even on new models. I would welcome any suggestions about other types of cabinet latches.

The overhead latches use a positive latch meaning that it locks and requires mechanical action (turning, pressing) to release the latch such as a door handle. This is versus friction latches which release on their own if enough force is applied.

If the overhead positive latch is breaking it is likely that there is too much force exerted on the cabinet door. If you have to force the door shut because the cabinet is so stuffed; this will cause latch and hinge failure. Another cause could be improper alignment; for example, the latch plate is set too far away from the latch pawl (hook) and the latch has a lot of pressure on the pin. The plate is adjustable but only slightly. Another alignment can be with the pawl assembly, it can be set higher than the pawl pin and the pawl hits the pin breaking either the pin or the pawl. Proper alignment will have the leading taper of the pawl contacting the pin, causing the spring action of the pawl slightly open then close, latching the pawl onto the pin.
A careful close observation of the latching hardware - slowly closing the cabinet door will tattle if this is the culprit.

I have a latch for my flatscreen television that often opens when on bouncy roads. The TV would just start swinging out. I adjust the latch plate out a little to hold the hook of the pawl a little better. Jury is out if the fix worked. I haven't had the coach on the road since that adjustment.

For those having hinges and latches "blowing out" from the cabinet work you should investigate what is behind the problem cabinet door. The doors are not intended to be a method compressing the contents within the cabinet. I've seen fellow camper attempt to stuff 4 pillows in an overhead using the cabinet door as tool to compress the pillows. A couple hours later the hinge screws popped out the wood stile.

Bobby

[sunvale1]

Originally Posted by Stumpdog

Has anyone had problems with their overhead cabinet latches breaking on their View. We had to replace at least 6 latches on our 2016 View. We even email Winnebago Corp. and was told that they still use the same latches even on new models. I would welcome any suggestions about other types of cabinet latches.

Only problem we had with any latches or hardware mountings where the result of the installers having used 12 HP impact drivers for No 6 screws and spinning the wood out of the hole which I took out epoxied and reinserted. No problems since then

[Kegler]

Similar to the match stick idea mentioned previously but even easier. I had several cabinet latches come apart on my 2015 Navion and fixed them with a 99 cent box of round wooden toothpicks. Just line up the holes to the two metal pieces of the latch. Jam a toothpick hard into the holes on each side as far as it'll go. Then break off the rest of the toothpick. No glue needed. Not one of the latches I've fixed this way has come apart again.

[rprochnow]

In our 2021 View 24D, the latch for the center cabinet over the dinette wasn't engaging.

This was due to a sag in the bottom of the cabinet and not a failure of the latch. The cabinet bottom is connected to the interior side cabinet supports by several small screws, and one of the screw holes was stripped, causing the cabinet bottom to sag just enough to affect the latch.

Using a larger screw corrected the problem. And we'll now be a little more careful about how much weight we place into that middle cabinet...

[Kegler]

Originally Posted by rprochnow

In our 2021 View 24D, the latch for the center cabinet over the dinette wasn't engaging.

This was due to a sag in the bottom of the cabinet and not a failure of the latch. The cabinet bottom is connected to the interior side cabinet supports by several small screws, and one of the screw holes was stripped, causing the cabinet bottom to sag just enough to affect the latch.

Using a larger screw corrected the problem. And we'll now be a little more careful about how much weight we place into that middle cabinet...

The issue you're describing here is a different problem from what I (and obviously others) experienced with View/Navion overhead cabinet latches. Instead of the bottom of the cabinet sagging, the two metal pieces that make the latch would literally come apart. I had this problem with at least 4 different overhead cabinets.


Good to hear you found a straightforward solution to your problem!

[Kegler]

Originally Posted by rprochnow

In our 2021 View 24D, the latch for the center cabinet over the dinette wasn't engaging.

By the way... congrats on the brand new View 24D. We have a 2015 Navion 24V and we love it. Just the right size for the two of us with most all the features we really want in a relatively small package (for a motorhome) that goes almost anywhere. I like the 24D layout but wanted something where the bed was still usable while driving, thus the 24V choice for us.

[crah]

I thought the 2019 and older views had bottom of the cabinet door latch (completely different than the newer views 2020+).

The 2020 and 2021 changed to push button latches. These are not any better. They are cheap plastic push button latches that will wear out quickly. They do make better quality metal one ls in this style but they are not used by Winnebago. Surprised Winnebago responded that those older style latches are still used. The new style is not any better and I would say is lesser quality.

[rprochnow]

The push button latches have challenges. The buttons get loose and if you tighten them too much, you can't get them to release. But other than the sagging cabinet that prevented one latch from working, we haven't had any other issues after our first 16K miles...

[Kegler]

Originally Posted by crah

I thought the 2019 and older views had bottom of the cabinet door latch (completely different than the newer views 2020+).

The 2020 and 2021 changed to push button latches. These are not any better. They are cheap plastic push button latches that will wear out quickly. They do make better quality metal one ls in this style but they are not used by Winnebago. Surprised Winnebago responded that those older style latches are still used. The new style is not any better and I would say is lesser quality.

I'm fine with the older style latches in the pre-2019 models after discovering that, if they come apart, I can fix them in minutes with a couple toothpicks.