Cracks /Splits On Interior Door Panel - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 03-15-2019, 08:36 PM   #1
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Cracks /Splits On Interior Door Panel

I own a 2018 Kodiak 201QB Ultralite Travel Trailer. The entry door has a white textured plastic panel. We took a 200 mile trip and when we arrived it had 9 horizontal cracks mostly centered on both sides of the window frame, but some are closer to the bottom of the door. Please see the two attached pictures. The only thing different about this trip was a 37 degree night before departing in the morning. We live in AZ , so the trailer is normally warm when we start. Our dealer tells us it is out or warranty and the ONLY repair available is a complete replacement of the entire door at a cost of $980.00. I am going to try to convince Dutchmen that they should replace the door at no cost because it was an unusual failure. Perhaps there was not enough flexibility in the panel fit when the door was manufactured and the cold made the plastic brittle and it shattered ?
The concern is that a new door may do the same. I would be willing to heat the inside of the camper before departing on a cold morning if I knew the cold was the problem.
Has anyone else had a similar problem? Any recommendations on convincing Dutchmen to cover this defect?
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Old 03-15-2019, 10:05 PM   #2
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I doubt it is temperature related. Our trailer has traveled through extremes from -10C to +25C in a matter of hours due to changes of elevation while traveling. Since the backing is a foam product I would guess flexing or twisting is the issue. Prior to replacing I would look into that possibility or the new door will do the same thing.
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Old 03-15-2019, 11:40 PM   #3
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Never seen that before on a newer trailer. Something must have caused it to bind pretty bad to cause the cracks, or they have a bad batch of FRP.

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Old 03-16-2019, 02:19 PM   #4
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I’ve got that exact same travel trailer, I’ve had no issues it’s the door.
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Old 03-23-2019, 09:29 PM   #5
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Dutchman Warranty. There is none!

Hello Guy
I have a 2017 201QB and quiet frankly it appears everyone at Dutchman/Keystone is told to say it is out of warranty or you caused it to happen and there fore no warranty, and the dealer, if it is the one in Mesa will try to show you they care but do nothing. Back to you issue, I had a water tank almost fall out and they said it was my fault because I filled it too much, which was crap. the dealer did nothing to help and I asked for pics when I paid for the repair which they said they forgot to take so when I got home I took the underbelly own and took many pick of the exceptionally poor way the tanks were put in and submitted it to Keystone and after many arguments and me showing and proving poor workmanship they decided to reimburse almost all the cost of repairs. All through this the dealer was saying they could do nothing, truth is they didn't wan to. when you talk to Keystone you will always get a different person until I did get to the decision maker and I got my $ back. Let me know if you would like some e mail addresses t Keystone.
PS if it is a 2018 do they not have a longer Warranty, see attached
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Old 03-23-2019, 10:06 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by AETHERIA View Post
Hello Guy
I have a 2017 201QB and quiet frankly it appears everyone at Dutchman/Keystone is told to say it is out of warranty or you caused it to happen and there fore no warranty, and the dealer, if it is the one in Mesa will try to show you they care but do nothing. Back to you issue, I had a water tank almost fall out and they said it was my fault because I filled it too much, which was crap. the dealer did nothing to help and I asked for pics when I paid for the repair which they said they forgot to take so when I got home I took the underbelly own and took many pick of the exceptionally poor way the tanks were put in and submitted it to Keystone and after many arguments and me showing and proving poor workmanship they decided to reimburse almost all the cost of repairs. All through this the dealer was saying they could do nothing, truth is they didn't wan to. when you talk to Keystone you will always get a different person until I did get to the decision maker and I got my $ back. Let me know if you would like some e mail addresses t Keystone.
PS if it is a 2018 do they not have a longer Warranty, see attached
Thank you for your information. I live in Gilbert and I am dealing with the Mesa dealership. I bought the 2018 in November 2017 and the failure was 109 days beyond the one year warranty. I have asked for an exception to the one year rule and I expect to hear within the next week. I would appreciate any email addresses you could send me. I called the Dutchmen customer service people as the dealer suggested and got no where as they rudely cut me off. The dealer told me that Dutchmen buy the doors fully manufactured from a subcontractor. My guess is there was not enough flexibility in the manufacturing of the door. I do not dry camp or go off from paved roads, so I am certain my actions did not cause the panel to split. If Dutchmen turns down my reasonable request I will have to figure out how to replace the panel myself with Formica. I am not paying $980. for a replacement door which may do the same thing. If I am not treated right on this, my next camper or RV will be bought elsewhere.
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Old 03-28-2019, 03:54 PM   #7
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Here is an update on my cracks in the door problem As predicted, Dutchmen has denied my claim. They have suggested that I go directly to their subcontractor, Lippert Components, who made the door to resolve this. The local dealer who sold me the trailer is doing this for me. Does anyone have any experience or advice in this type effort?
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Old 03-28-2019, 05:26 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Guy Lombardo View Post
Here is an update on my cracks in the door problem As predicted, Dutchmen has denied my claim. They have suggested that I go directly to their subcontractor, Lippert Components, who made the door to resolve this. The local dealer who sold me the trailer is doing this for me. Does anyone have any experience or advice in this type effort?



I am not surprised concerning the DUTCHMEN warranty denial. Their website says they now support a three year warranty. I sent them an email concerning my issues with the floor and NEVER got a response. Happy that the dealer is nice enough to attempt a lippert solution but would not be surprised if they said no. I would anticipate the dealer would be good enough to keep you as a customer and spend the $$$ for their line item on their tax and balance sheet called "GOOD WILL".
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Old 04-14-2019, 05:05 PM   #9
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Update

The dealer in Mesa AZ reached out to the manufacturer of the door, Lippert Components. Lippert did the right thing and agreed to provide a new door& frame at no cost even though it was 109 days beyond the warranty. The dealer wants $421.00 to install the new door. I suspect that this high amount is because they want to remove the old frame and door and reinstall the new entire door/frame unit. Couldn't I just install the new door in the old frame by removing the hinge pins ? Does anyone see any problems with that approach? I hate the thought of tearing out the old frame and resealing the new when the door is the only problem.
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Old 04-14-2019, 05:46 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Guy Lombardo View Post
The dealer in Mesa AZ reached out to the manufacturer of the door, Lippert Components. Lippert did the right thing and agreed to provide a new door& frame at no cost even though it was 109 days beyond the warranty. The dealer wants $421.00 to install the new door. I suspect that this high amount is because they want to remove the old frame and door and reinstall the new entire door/frame unit. Couldn't I just install the new door in the old frame by removing the hinge pins ? Does anyone see any problems with that approach? I hate the thought of tearing out the old frame and resealing the new when the door is the only problem.



Congrats on that win!


I guess it is possible that the "frame" was out of wack and caused the issue with the door. Maybe some very precise measuring would convince you which method would be the way to go.


Good luck
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Old 04-14-2019, 05:49 PM   #11
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There is an outside chance the hinges on the new door won't align with the old frame. Mechanical and manufacturing differences might cause a problem.

By replacing the entire unit you know the door will hang correctly and you will know the frame is sealed properly and the screws are actually doing their job.
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Old 04-14-2019, 06:58 PM   #12
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The hinges are exterior hinges and as such are security hinges. They are not designed nor intended to have the pin removed. The interior of the hinge looks to be some sort of pin or rivet and so removing these make cause problems re-installing.
As stated the frame may also be the cause so I think I would install everything that was shipped. You can be assured that Lippert would not be replacing any more than is necessary.
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Old 04-14-2019, 07:12 PM   #13
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I have come to the same conclusion. I will do the measurements of both new and old frame and doors before deciding what to do. I want to be sure there is a tight fit of the new door to the old frame. Another question : The hinge pins have a cap in the top and appear to have been flattened on the bottom to keep the pin from coming out. Is there a special tool to flatten the bottom of the hinge pin after it is inserted ?
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Old 04-14-2019, 07:58 PM   #14
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The hinges are exterior hinges and as such are security hinges. They are not designed nor intended to have the pin removed. The interior of the hinge looks to be some sort of pin or rivet and so removing these make cause problems re-installing.
As stated the frame may also be the cause so I think I would install everything that was shipped. You can be assured that Lippert would not be replacing any more than is necessary.
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Reply : Thank you for your reply. It made me look harder at the hinges and to find a better way. You are correct about the hinge pins. The attached picture shows the door is held onto the hinges by screws on the inside of the door. The other side of the hinges are riveted to the door frame. I am told that Lippert is going to send the exact door and frame as what I have now. I will do some precise measurements of both the old and new doors before attempting installation. I am certain I can change the door by just unscrewing the old door from the stationary hinges. Lippert has made it clear that this new door does not have any warranty.
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Old 04-15-2019, 02:46 AM   #15
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I have the same texture on my dutchman doors. Fortunately have no
issues with it. But I curious if you looked at the cracks in compared to where the screws are. Do you think they are over tight causing the issue?




I been on very extreme from -25F to +110F so I don't think the temps are a issue.
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Old 04-15-2019, 03:06 AM   #16
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The cracks are in random areas with all the crack lines horizontal. I am beginning to think the material was defective and/or the door was manufactured without enough flex for the interior material to move when the door flexed. It will be interesting to see if Lippert answers my question about what I could do to prevent this problem in the future.
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Old 10-31-2021, 08:31 PM   #17
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My back door looks the same ? its only two years old and I just notice that there are like 10 cracks in it just like that
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Old 11-01-2021, 02:53 AM   #18
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I suspect defective product. On our second RV in AZ and never had this problem.
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