3970 roof rafter recall

Denviola · 03-04-2016, 09:27 PM

Had my new 3970 home for 2 weeks and got a recall. Says the ceiling panels may sag under the main AC unit . Need to return to dealer for reinforce the roof rafters, 10 hrs labor authorized.
Anyone else? Should be interesting....
Denny

azdryheat · 03-04-2016, 10:25 PM

Interesting. First I've heard of any kind of recall involving the Voltage line. Just spit-balling here but since all of our roofs are more-or-less the same perhaps the recall should apply across the board.

donzinger · 03-05-2016, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azdryheat

Interesting. First I've heard of any kind of recall involving the Voltage line. Just spit-balling here but since all of our roofs are more-or-less the same perhaps the recall should apply across the board.

Check here - there is one for certain 2014 Voltages here:

2014 DUTCHMEN VOLTAGE | Safercar | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Denviola · 03-05-2016, 10:12 AM

I probably should not have called it a recall as in NHTSA space, and the letter came from Keystone RV titled as "Recreational Vehicle Service Campaign". The text of the letter pertains to "certain 2016 Voltage model 3970 Fifth Wheels." The reason given states " It has been determined the vehicles in this advisory population have ceiling panels that sag under the central a/c. The roof rafters must be reinforced."

Now I'm thinking the wrong rafters were installed. I just bought this for our retirement travel plans, and now unsure if it will give a decent service life beyond the warranty period. Will follow up with Keystone for info.

bob.stone · 03-05-2016, 01:48 PM

My dealer told me that my 3970 is the one that started the recall. When I did my walkthrough in November I noticed a 1 foot sag in the roof around the center AC (of course the guy doing the walkthrough was surprised I brought it up). They told me that the roofs are missing three rafters. They have to drop the interior ceiling and put the rafters in. It took the engineers two months to figure out how to fix the issue. Still haven't gotten my trailer back yet. 10 hours doesn't seem like much time to do that work, it should all be under warranty.

Denviola · 03-05-2016, 02:32 PM

Bob, after reading your reply I went out to mine, stood on the top step near the bathroom door and just sighted down along the refrigerator slide (which was in). There is a dip in the center, and only in the center - perhaps not as much as yours but obvious when you know what to look for. The roof appears level at the garage end and the bathroom end. Later today I'll take actual measurements, floor to ceiling with the slides out. So, appears that Keystone knew of this issue when it was sold to me in February.... Guess I'll stop loading my stuff from the old RV for a while.
Denny

DutchmenClassic04 · 03-05-2016, 09:56 PM

The roof is not missing any rafters. The sag in the roof on average is 1 1/2" - 2". I believe the roof has been built the same as all previous 3970's. Its most likely a weak run of rafters from the vendor. They are being reinforced by adding 3 steel angle supports screwed along the rafters and set on the sidewall. The ceiling panels will be taken down along with the crown molding and yacht trim. The steel angle supports installed and everything reassembled and trimmed.

Hopefully your dealer will take good care of you and you will have a great experience with the camper. IMO, anyone purchasing a NEW Voltage toy hauler is getting the best product that the plant has ever produced.

Denviola · 03-05-2016, 10:18 PM

Thanks for the reply, very informative. Took the letter to the dealer today, and service department rep didn't have any info on this service number yet and did not know what or if any parts would need to be ordered. He did tell me to drop it off next Friday. Will see about getting slide toppers installed while there.

bob.stone · 03-06-2016, 03:11 AM

@DutchmenClassic04, that was a much better explanation than my dealer gave me. I would say mine was more than an inch and the sag was visible from inside and outside the unit. I was told the kit comes from Dutchmen so there are no actual parts to order. I am understandably a bit frustrated that I have made four payments now and haven't actually possessed the unit. I am hoping to get it out for a shake down later this month. I think a lot of my frustration is the lack of information from my dealer. I have had to pull all updates out of them. Thanks again.

boostme · 03-28-2016, 01:41 AM

I asked my wife today if the roof looked like it was sagging in the living room today, and now I find this...

I just picked the camper up from the dealer for a massive slide leak...

Denviola · 03-28-2016, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denviola

Thanks for the reply, very informative. Took the letter to the dealer today, and service department rep didn't have any info on this service number yet and did not know what or if any parts would need to be ordered. He did tell me to drop it off next Friday. Will see about getting slide toppers installed while there.

Wasn't happy with the "drop it off and we'll see" so spoke to the service manager and he was knowledgeable of this issue and he said he worked with the manufacturer on the early repairs. He ordered the reinforcement parts first and now they are in and will be taking the RV in for repair on April 6th. What he said is very similar to DutchmenClassic04's post. He also said that if the roof is not leaking yet, it will so the repair needs to be performed.

boostme · 03-31-2016, 12:15 AM

Confirmed on Monday that the camper is impacted by the issue. Dealer says at least another week for parts and then 3 days in the shop. I have only had the camper for a month and it has already spent a week in the shop before this happened.

Off to a rocky start...

hddecker · 03-31-2016, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boostme

Confirmed on Monday that the camper is impacted by the issue. Dealer says at least another week for parts and then 3 days in the shop. I have only had the camper for a month and it has already spent a week in the shop before this happened.

Off to a rocky start...

Welcome to the wonderful world of RV ownership.

Now if we were dealing with an industry that gave a crap, they would have issued a no sell order and had the defect corrected before sale.

hopkins44 · 03-31-2016, 03:34 PM

don't have time even to read this right now... been SLAMMED. have a 16 3970, and had the work done last week, did not notice anything from the inside.

Denviola · 03-31-2016, 08:15 PM

Tom, when you have the time LMK here or on FB how your first trip with the new unit was. the Daytona pics were nice!

Alsdas88 · 04-01-2016, 04:52 PM

Not happy with hearing there is an issue with the 3970 units out there. My wife and I canceled an order for a 3605 a couple of years ago due to a work transfer cross country, but we are now ready to jump back in. My wife has decided the 3970 is the unit for us and now I see this problem.

hddecker · 04-01-2016, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alsdas88

Not happy with hearing there is an issue with the 3970 units out there. My wife and I canceled an order for a 3605 a couple of years ago due to a work transfer cross country, but we are now ready to jump back in. My wife has decided the 3970 is the unit for us and now I see this problem.

If you haven't bought it yet, you know what to look for and you also have the build date to go by.

Anything built after the recall should not have the rafter problem.

boostme · 04-05-2016, 02:42 AM

I am still awaiting an ETA on parts. Can anyone provide an update on how long the parts for the recall took to show up?

Volsfan1nga · 04-05-2016, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denviola

Had my new 3970 home for 2 weeks and got a recall. Says the ceiling panels may sag under the main AC unit . Need to return to dealer for reinforce the roof rafters, 10 hrs labor authorized.
Anyone else? Should be interesting....
Denny

Friends of ours have your unit, 3970, and it is in the shop as we speak having roof repairs. My advice...don't wait. Get it fixed soon. They are also having a problem with their bedroom slide tearing up the floor.

Denviola · 04-05-2016, 11:19 PM

Volsfan1nga - Actually taking it in tomorrow, 4/6 for the repair. Had gotten a quote for slide toppers to be installed, but I'm going to wait until I see how this repair goes. I'm honestly spooked by this repair, and I'm hoping my reluctance is not founded. Spent a long time looking at the ceiling and wondering how the dealer would get it back together without damage to panels, trim and ductwork.
Boostme - took about 9-10 days after the parts were ordered to get a call that parts were in and set a drop-off date.

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