Battery Compartment Failure

[Clyncher]

Through dumb luck, I avoided a likely catastrophe. I was discussing getting new coach batteries with my nephew. For no good reason, I took him over to my 2022 Vista 31B to show him the batteries. The minute I opened up the compartment, I felt like I got punched in the gut. The tray holding the 2 coach batteries and the starter battery looked more like a slide, with the starter battery not far from falling out. The compartment is three sided, plus the bottom. The right side was completely separated (see pic). One half of the front side had separated, and the second half had started to tear. The left side had also started to tear. All I could think about is what might have happened if I hadn’t seen this, and I hit the road for the 400-mile trip home. With help from my nephew and brother-in-law, we patched the compartment back together with some angle iron fashioned from an old bed frame.

Has anyone else encountered this problem? Seems crazy that this happened after less than 37,000 miles.

 

[Eagle5]

Hi Clyncher,
This is pretty horrifying indeed. I would contact Winnebago and provide them before and after pictures. It certainly looks like the design for the battery tray must be strengthened, and that a safety recall should be issued.
Thanks, Eagle5