Kwikee Step Problem

We went to Breckenridge CO for the Christmas holidays, and suddlenly my steps started swinging FREELY back and forth no matter what.  I can hear the motor running when I open the door/start the motorhome, with no effect as these steps are swinging freely with no apparent connection now to the motor.  I ended up wiring them in the up position to get home so I didn't knock any people or road signs over on the way home. 

I have the 3-step Kwikee model 888, series 24/25 steps that have the 1/4 moon shaped cog plate....no cotter pins.

I'm just wondering if somehow the motor wheel cogs are stripped somehow, and are not connecting the plate. :-[

HERE is a picture of what type of motor setup I have. 

I'm just wondering if I need to replace the whole "Motor Table"?   ???

Mark - you'll probably need to get underneath and do a visual if you haven't already.  That's a bummer - coincidentally I started to have step trouble as well, but not a catastrophic failure like yours is. 

If you don't get enough visibility/responses with your thread here, I'll move it to the motorhomes section.

John Canfield said:

Mark - you'll probably need to get underneath and do a visual if you haven't already.  That's a bummer - coincidentally I started to have step trouble as well, but not a catastrophic failure like yours is. 

If you don't get enough visibility/responses with your thread here, I'll move it to the motorhomes section.

Click to expand...

And don't let your fingers/hands get caught in the steps if your underneath and try to activate them.

Thanks John.  I posted in here, because Winnie uses these "heavier" model steps....especially on the 3-step version, although other motorhome manufacturers might use the same steps.

I looked underneath....got lots of salty ice dripping on me.....and saw NOTHING "wrong".....the steps swing back and forth.  It appears that the motor isnt connecting with the 1/4 moon shape cog wheel....but you cant see that, as the motor is covering the cog portion......ugg!!!

EDIT:  Good point JC2! 

Mark - I'm going to move this to motorhomes since your thread has sort of died here 

Update on my Kwikee Step problem.

1.  Kwikee provides NO customer service to their products any more.     In my owner's manual, they list 1-800-736-9961 as a number to call for assistance.  When you call that number, the message you hear says "All customer service representatives are busy helping other customers, please hold for the next Customer Representative".....then you wait for 2 minutes 15 seconds and it goes to voicemail.

Here's the problem:  There ARE NO CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVES!     You get to wait on the line for 2 minutes and 15 seconds and then they send you to their "voice mail" line, and you get to leave a message.  I've left....hmmmm.....maybe 20 or so messages....nobody calls you back.  Also when you get to the voice mailbox, you are told "if you have a problem with your Kwikee product, please take your coach to a dealer....if you are a dealer, please call the special number provided to you".

I recieved another number from a member, 1-800-334-4712, and it says the same thing.  You can't bypass the message and to to an operator, because there is NO OPERATOR.

I understand that Kwikee has been bought out by Power Gear, and has now deleted the customer service part of their product line.  :-[  I've talked to several chat board members and they are saying the same thing....Kwikee is no more.

Its unfortunate that my coach has levelers, slide out controls and this step that was manufactured by Kwikee.   :

So....I am presuming my step is a 3-step Series 25 (just by drawings on the Kwikee website)....There is absolutely no markings anywhere on the steps, as I crawled underneath the motorhome last night after work, and unbolted that 78 lb. beast and lowered it down on my chest.    I found a small "cog" that goes on the shaft of the motor (power window motor from the 80's!!!!) that had sheared in half.

NOBODY has that small $1.50 cog...I called PPL in Houston for the "motor plate" which includes the motor, the gearing and the brains, and PPL wants $250 for the plate.  He suggested that I just buy the WHOLE 3-steps for $440 (on sale) plus shipping so I could have parts when this thing breaks again.....very nice guy I might add. 

I am still just guessing that my 3-step unit is a series 25, and took a chance and bought one complete steps from Ebay last night (after Texas beat OSU....of course!!   ;D  ) for $229 plus $55 shipping.

I just wanted everyone to know that one more company is not supporting it's products. 

If Kwikee was bought out they may be in transition mode.  Have you contacted Power Gear to confirm they bought Kwikee and if so how to get support?  Power Gear has always provided excellent service.

I discovered the loss of customer service sometime back and was (am) disheartened about it.
Even pressing zero which usually gets you to an operator just disconnects the call.

I hope Winnebago stops using their products or puts pressure on them to restore their customer service.

If possible I won't buy any of their products and if one of the existing items I have fails will replace them with another brand if at all possible.

Right now I suspect there are no substitutes in some cases other than Power Gear which I won't use either. Replacing the slide mechanism with something else is probably not feasible so I hope it continues to work.

Also Power Gear didn't buy them Actuant the company that owns Power Gear along with several other companies did.

This company sells rebuilt Kwikee step boards. It might be of interest to some of you. I haven't used them so can't vouch for them.

Power Gear, Kwikee and Marinco are all divisions of that company Ron.  (just visited their website, obvious ulr (www.name.co)

Someone needs to tell them that the difference between SALE and NO-SALE is often the customer serivce department

And someone needs to sue them for the cost of hanging on a cell phone waiting for cuss-some-more non service when they don't offer it any more.  Class action. the kind of thing where the lawyer gets paid and if you get 2 cents you are lucky.

Yep Clay....I'm not thrilled I have THREE Kwikee slides, a leveling sytem by them and a step by them.  Our next motorhome will have NOTHING made by Kwikee.

I thought about calling Winnebago, but I figured they have heard this alot recently.

Don't know if the best course is to file a class action so some darn lawyer can inprove his bank account or just let it go.  When ever lawyers get involved they seem to get the biggest share seems like.

We have Power Gear leveling and have been very happy with them.  I have called twice once just to ask a questions and last year to get parts and advice when we did have one seal go bad.  Excellent service both times.

Have never had a problem with Kwikee steps on any of the three motorhomes we had with them installed so their performance for us has been excellent.

Well, the problem is that they need to be spanked for leaving the number there and running up folks phone bills and not returning Customer Service calls

I did send Investor Relations an E-mail suggesting that they terminated customer service because they no longer wish customers and suggesting that the investors might just be interested in that fact.

I mean, why else would you terminate customer support... Another name for Customer Support is CUSTOMER RETENTION! after all

If you don't believe me just look at all the folks recommending Fantastic Fan.. I mean Maxx-Air's product is better on paper (don't know how well it's built) but nobody can top FF on customer support.  So they get thousands of recommendations every time period... V/S a few for the competition.

John....You are exactly right.....How annoying is it when you wait on the line after they tell you "all our customer representatives are waiting on other customers", when you finally realize IT'S A LIE!!!

Here are the two numbers....one is a "private" number supposedly to get through:

1-800-736-9961
1-800-334-4712

TRY CALLING THOSE....See if you can get a "customer representative"

I've called now close to 50 times....left over 20 messages during this last week, with NO RETURN CALLS, and there is NO way to talk to a person!  What kind of business is that!

I called PPL in Houston, and they said that Kwikee doesn't give any more support for their products.  They can't supply the parts either!  What kind of nonsense is that!

I have levelers by Kwikee, 3 COMPLETE SLIDE OUTS with Kwikee controls, and now a Kwikee step with a $1.50 piece thats broken on it.  Thank GOD for Ebay, as I bought the compete step unit for $250!  Im having a problem with my levelers now...the seals may be bad on one of the levelers....WHO IS GOING TO FIX THIS! 

WHAT A DISASTER!!!!!    

I called RVP today (RV Products) about my basement air fan coming on all the time for no apparent reason.  THE SECOND RING, the service tech there answered!  I told him how much I appreciate the "service Line", and I will report good service advise from his company. Now THATS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WILL GET GOOD WORD OF MOUTH.



EDIT:  I just called the "Main" number for Kwikee:
1-541-942-3888................quick busy signal.....

I often tell of 3-customer service (Well two customer service one cuss-some-more non service) calls

1: To Hughesnet  7 hours on line and no resolution  Finally mailed the defective modem to Ron and even then I had to spend another hour dealing with the idiots to get the replacement authorized

2: Xantrex: Real human with real brain who knew product  Fifteen minutes including chit-chat and helpful hints to insure that the problem did not re-occure  I'd rate that call as excellent and this customer as satisfied

3: Workhorse: Real human answered the phone, and in less than a minute my question.. Now I do admit it was a FAQ but frankly I never got to the customer support technician SHE WAS A RECEPTIONIST!!!  But she had the info I needed and the minute timer on my phone never beeped!!!!

Now THAT, is customer service (Alas she's a robot now)


Oh, side effect of going to FMCA rally is I met the national service manager for Workhorse.. Next call was to him direct

You see... I went to dealer to schedule an oil change and a recall job... They told me that two weeks was too soon cause they could not get the part that quickly... I told them to schedule the job and I'd get the part.. That was Monday

4 hours later (Same monday) Alan handed me the part

2 weeks later I handed the service consultant at the authorized workhorse service center alan's card, with the part attached

It is amazing the service I get there now days

Yes - RVP - top shelf!  I have a warm fuzzie having their AC/heat pump ;D

Xantrex - one more warm fuzzie  ;D.  You can actually talk to a human you can have a fruitful dialog with.

Hughesnet - don't know (thankfully) since I use Motosat as a VAR.  I call Motosat and I get a real, live native English speaker.

Going down the list of Kudos:
Fantastic Fan!

The Kwikee web site spells it out clearly:

>>As a manufacturer, Kwikee does not sell directly to the public. We sell to warehouse distributors, who in turn supply RV dealers. Any major RV dealer can order Kwikee products from a warehouse distributor and many carry parts in stock.<<

It sort of says it all.  Their customers are not us but the manufacturers of RVs. 

Neither of the two big dealers can get in touch with Kwikee....read my post.

And my owners manual says to call them.....both lines "say" they are helping others..to wait.

It's a FLAT LIE   

UPDATE:  As of this morning, Kwikee is NOW answering their tech support line.  Maybe all the phone messages and emails helped!  Who knows....at least you can get a live person now!

Would the inability to contact them the last couple weeks be the result of maybe they were out for the holidays?  Some companies do close for one or two weeks in December.