Quality Issue, Feed back for Kodiak

[tim87114]

I hope the people over at Kodiak reads these posts. I want to help them understand some quality issues coming off the line that might help them reduce some warranty costs.

Kodiak Leak in Kitchen slide.> Found after inspection that the Black Silicone sealant isn't applied completely around various items on the kitchen slide.
Items missing full sealant.
Both Outdoors speakers near the top
Vent housings near the top

Not found at walk through at dealership but on pre-inspection of trip.
Trailer Left and Right Turn signals wired backwards inside the harness.
Note: Although the Red and Brown wires match up at the tail lights as far color goes, they are physically wired wrong somehow inside the trailer harness.
IE, Left turn signal on truck makes the right blinker on the trailer flash.
NOTE: Vehicle has Ford Factory Tow Harness and was verified by Technician to be wired correctly. A different trailer was connected to the truck and the signals worked properly. To save time the Trailer Plug end was changed.

Just want to give Kodiak a heads up on those two issues. Other than that, all is good

[tim87114]

Added quality issues found.
Couch Slide runs into bathroom door. NOTED: Wood under carpet has sharp corner and staple at this location. When slide is all the way it, contact is made with the bathroom door and chips the door.

Bunk Room Door Frame not straight. This causes the bunk room door to not close or latch completely. If this happens when the couch slide is ran out, the door handle is grabbed by the slide. This essentially rips the door handle/door from the wall. This causes extensive damage to the door.
Possible fixes would be to change from a residential door handle to a paddle handle at this location.

Silicone Sealant around all areas shrink overtime causing seals to fail. Customers should be aware to purchase Black Silicone Flexible sealant made specifically for Auto/RV windows, doors and seals. Can be sourced at NAPA autoparts or any RV Dealer/Shop

[tim87114]

Trim Paneling around slides fall off. Trim is only held in place by staple/nails. Trim can be come loose or fall off completely.

Glue marks on ceiling.

Rain gutters placed right above pass through doors. Move back about six inches and this would be corrected.

[knesdad]

We had a few issues too in the beginning, but our beloved dealer rectified all the problems. It's now in again for a couple things, but I'm sure they will get taken care of. Get it all done while it's under warranty and life is good... ;-hap

[tim87114]

Yea, no complaints. Just want Dutchmen to know they have a couple design issues and production flaws they need to correct. This would reduce their warranty costs after all.

[FlyingDutchmen]

It sounds like you have quite a few issues there my friend.Do you think it might be possible to get another Trailer off them. Just a thought. I have not had mine out on a trip yet so don't know what i'm going to find. Good luck & keep us up to date with progress.

[tim87114]

if you haven't had yours out yet then you just don't be upset when stuff falls off on your shake down run. We have had ours out camping twice now. Each trip something different has come loose or fallen off. We pick it back up from the dealer tomorrow.
I'm not upset as I know these types of things are normal.

[FlyingDutchmen]

Originally Posted by tim87114

if you haven't had yours out yet then you just don't be upset when stuff falls off on your shake down run. We have had ours out camping twice now. Each trip something different has come loose or fallen off. We pick it back up from the dealer tomorrow.
I'm not upset as I know these types of things are normal.

tim87114. We go this Saturday. I'm sorry to here you are still having things fall off. I know its an inconvienience but solong as they fix things up then i guess its not to bad. I'm looking forward to our trip & kind of expecting things to go wrong. We picked a trip through the mountains to give everything a good test so we will see. I think i'd better get things ready sooner than i thought..

[birdlady]

We really love our Kodiak 281RLS. Only one issue happened on our initial shake out, but the trailer is exactly what we thought it would be. We purchased the trailer to see if we would like to camp. We love it, so we are planning on selling our F150 and our Kodiak as a package and then purchasing a F350 and the Dutchmen Infinity fifth wheel 3885FL. My husband is six foot, so the trailer is a small for him. I love the Infinity floor plan and the extra room will be great. We decided to stay with Dutchmen because of the quality of our little Kodiak! We especially like the awning that has the sensor that will empty the awning automatically when it rains. Great feature!

[Torch]

Lets see,on a 276bhsl, cabinet door crooked above tv,outside speakers don't work,rear door pops open even when locked,front screen door has huge gap,replaced once,new one has issues also,broken light above sink,defective counter top,trim pieces keep falling off(i finally fixed that).Poor fit on many of the trim parts.Many of these issues should of never left the factory,while I have had issues with the dealer in how things were fixed I believe they shouldn't of had to deal with them.

[birdlady]

Wow Torch, you really got ahold of a lemon! We purchased a 1980 Mustang in 1980 and put plates on that said LEMON. Then in 2007 we purchased a new Mustang. It has been great. No problems. I said all that to say that with each manufacturer, there will be a lemon occasionally. Hopefully, this experience will not spoil the great Dutchmen products for you.

[Torch]

Well I just got back from the boonies,traveling on some rough roads. Basically I'm pretty happy,2 more trim pieces fell off and the main stove burner was mis adjusted letting the flame come out the side and partially cook the ignition wire. I did fix the misaligned front door/screen in some down time,also the loose door glass that was rattling around. Other than that I was warm,dry and comfortable. Everything else worked and I had plenty of ground clearence. Hopefully the service guy will just give me a new ignition wire and I'll do it myself.