New 2022 VIEW Awning self-deployed !!!!

[Stevie305]

I went out today to prepare the View for a trip. Opened the door, turned on the two coach battery switches, and started the engine preparing to deploy the leveling system and turn on the refrigerator. Within 2-3 seconds of starting the engine, the whole coach shook and there was a loud clattering noise outside. Obviously shocked, I looked out and saw that the awning was about 3/4 of the way deployed. Talk about strange? Well, I hit the switch to retract it and the motor ran but nothing happened. Same when I tried to finish extending it.

General consensus from talking to 2 different repairmen is that a gear on the motor stripped and allowed the awning to deploy by itself.

I actually got cold chills thinking what could have been if this had happened on the interstate underway !!!!!!!

Has anyone else heard of this happening or had it happen to them? There should be some type of mechanism to prevent this if the motor gearbox fails!

 

[Eagle5]

Hi Stevie,
I did some searching, and cannot find this happening elsewhere. Very odd indeed. I have often worried about the awning styles that cantilever straight out without the support struts found on the classic Winnebagos, such as my Minnie Winnie. It seems to me that the leverage and subsequent load placed upon components would be very high.
I did read of an awning clamp that can be installed to prevent "accidental" deployment:
Camco 42556 Awning Clamp Black
... but these are not available at this time. Perhaps something similar could be used?
Please let us know how the repairs go, and what details the technicians find.
Eagle5

 

[Stevie305]

Eagle5:

The repair tech said "That's been seen before". That's scary.

It looks like the gearing on the motor maintains pressure on the awning to keep it in the closed position. While I didn't have eyes on it when it deployed, the sound it made was definitely an "uncontrolled" deployment. It made rattling noises and actually shook the coach. And if you looked at the photo, it is definitely not completely open. But the motor would run and nothing would happen in either direction.

Tech is coming Tuesday to repair it. He said Winnebago or the awning company should cover the costs of repair.

This makes me wonder if a band clamp on it when not in use would be a bad idea for peace of mind ......

 

[Stevie305]

One thing that I didn't mention ....... This coach has been sitting idle in our driveway for 4 weeks. We just haven't had time to use it.

BUT ..... This is the first time it has been rained on. Could the rain have caused the motor to short out and malfunction? Just a thought .......

 

[Stevie305]

Hi Stevie,
I did read of an awning clamp that can be installed to prevent "accidental" deployment:
Camco 42556 Awning Clamp Black
... but these are not available at this time. Perhaps something similar could be used?

Wouldn't a good solid rubber bungie cord serve the same purpose if anchored correctly? Looks like that is all the Camco is but just fancier.

 

[Eagle5]

Hi Stevie,
I do not believe rain has anything to do with this failure. If the mechanics have been seeing the gears strip-out, then it is a strength-of-design issue. The part must be redesigned.
As the Camco straps are not available, then yes, use a rope or a bungee cord, especially if the replacement motor/gear set is of the same design.
Thanks, Eagle5

 

[WillowRider]

Yes, it has happened before

You have our sympathies. Precisely the same thing happened with our 2021 24D. Here's the link to my comprehensive, 2-year update on our experiences with the full story: (https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/f265/two-years-with-our-2021-view-24d-364889.html). Cranking it back in by hand was quite the experience (I'm 78) but doable and involved two ladders, a ratchet socket wrench, and pliers to keep the shaft from unwinding I while I reset the ratchet after each half turn. (Sadly, nobody thought to take pictures of me hanging off the fixed ladder on the back of the 24d!)


It took several months for our (former!) dealer to get the correct replacement motor. We're still waiting for the replacement rear cap on the awning system. The screw holding the cap in place was a Phillips head, as I recall, that stripped because the screw was over tightened at the factory. This meant I had to drill out the screw before I could remove the cap before I could crank the awning back in.


I hope your experience is less problematic!

 

[Stevie305]

I did read your post a while back but didn’t remember the part about the awning. Repair guy is supposed to fix ours on Tuesday so I hope he gets the motor that soon. Other than that issue we haven’t run into anything else of concern. But ….. it hasn’t been out of the driveway except for a short 100 mile trip.

 

[Stevie305]

I just found out by searching that there has been a recall on these particular awnings because of the unwanted deployment issues. 1600+ units involved. I will call Winnebago tomorrow to see what they are doing about it.

https://oemdtc.com/12171/awning-may...3-winnebago-view-era-itasca-navion-motorhomes

 

[WillowRider]

We've done a Grand Canyon trip since the battery and electrical system fixes. Everything went well, including the awning; it even retracted itself one night when a gust of wind came through. We have an appointment for the awning cap replacement this week and a San Diego trip calendared for mid-November and are optimistic. When she's right, she's great, and we remain optimistic the major bugs are behind us. We also accept there'll always be something, just hope it'll be minor.


Best of luck with yours.

 

[WillowRider]

I checked ours against the recall notice and believe it's not covered. But I may do the same, just in case.

 

[rprochnow]

We had our 2021 View in for service at a Winnebago dealership last week.

Dealerships have received a notice that they are supposed to zip tie the awnings closed and disconnect the power by pulling the cable off the fuse (located under the passenger seat).

The recall (currently) covers View/Navion units produced from Jan 1 2022 through Sep 16 2022.

While our View wasn't covered by the recall, we had problems with the awning earlier this year. It started beeping in the morning, which might have indicated a low battery in the motion sensor. We replaced the battery - and then the awning started extending by itself. I retracted it manually, and then it refused to open more than 6-12". Carefree determined the motor had failed - and we waited 3 months (supply chain delay) to get a replacement motor installed (already - the 2nd replacement we've had - after 2 years of ownership!).

According to the Carefree installation instructions, they recommend the awning be installed with an ON/OFF switch in addition to the switches for IN/OUT and the awning light. Winnebago decided not to provide an ON/OFF switch - so in order to turn off the power to the awning, you can either use the coach battery disconnect switch (which turns off all battery power to the coach) or pull the wires off the back of the fuse under the passenger seat.

 

[Stevie305]

OK ... I talked to CS at Winnebago. They were very aware of this situation and expressed concern. I was told to pull the yellow wire from the awning breaker to kill all power to the awning, and to wire tie the awning closed. Winnebago CS Rep was extremely helpful and apologetic. I'm hard to impress but he did a good job.

Winnebago doesn't have a fix for this as of yet. I have to assume that it is waiting for CareFree to figure out if they are going to totally replace these units with a "new" design, or if they have a fool-proof fix for it that can be applied to them. They also said that my dealer would be in touch as the situation progresses. Now ... I have been involved with the automotive industry for years and I can assure you that the "loudest squeak gets the grease". So ... I will keep in touch with Winnebago every couple of weeks until it is fixed or replaced instead of waiting for it to fall through the cracks at the dealership.

 

[Stevie305]

Dealerships have received a notice that they are supposed to zip tie the awnings closed .............

Well, I put metal band clamps on mine (the type used on dryer vent hoses) with neoprene strips underneath to avoid paint damage. But I still wonder how that will hold under the stress of 70mph winds and vibration. I have my doubts about trusting plastic zip ties in such a situation, although I have always tried to err on the side of caution. Sometimes to a fault, lol.

We had planned on doing a 1500 mile round trip from DFW to New Mexico this week, and I am still contemplating if this is a good idea. I will add a couple of heavy duty zip ties on each end to assist the band clamps. I wish there was a way to put something in the center of the awning but there is no access underneath to allow anything to pass in the center.

 

[Eagle5]

Hi Stevie,
What you have done sounds fine. Keep adding zip ties or whatever until you feel comfortable, but as long as it remains fully wound-up, there isn't going to be too much wind pressure on it.
Eagle5

 

[rprochnow]

If the power is off - then the motor won't try to extend the awning.

When we had our motor disconnected from power, all we needed was a strong tie-off on the rear end of the awning to keep it closed.

A strong zip tie (or two) should be fine.

 

[Stevie305]

If the power is off - then the motor won't try to extend the awning.

When we had our motor disconnected from power, all we needed was a strong tie-off on the rear end of the awning to keep it closed.

A strong zip tie (or two) should be fine.

Mine is not that way. And that's why I am concerned.

Strange as it may seem, if released the awning tries to open. And it will open about 2/3 of the way all by itself. No power necessary. It is ... for lack of a better word ... Free-wheeling. Nothing is holding it back. Obviously a gear somewhere is broken or the internals on the motor have failed.

It took two people to tie it up. One to hold the ratchet and keep it from unrolling, and another to lash it down.

 

[rprochnow]

In that case, multiple zip-ties on both ends...

 

[Stevie305]

In that case, multiple zip-ties on both ends...

Yep .... as many as there is room for.

I have it secured to the point that it would be fine even in the event of a roll-over.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and help. I'll keep any interested parties informed as this recall happens.

 

[Stevie305]

rprochnow:

I'm in Weatherford, not too far from your location. We just removed a Mercedes SUV from our possession because of the pain-in-the-butt time it took to do any service on it. And we were concerned that when the Service A or B was due on this Sprinter diesel it would be another weeklong ordeal.

If my aging memory serves me, you found a place near Grapevine or that area that got your coach in and out quickly. If that was the case, could you be kind enough to tell us who the dealer was and how you went about getting it done so quickly?

Thanks for the help!