Falling Out of Love with Winnebago Industries - Full Wall Slide Problems

We are the proud owner's of a 2011 Itasca Ellipse 42QD purchased in October, 2010.  Until recently we have always been a big fan of Winnebago and the way the stood behind their product.  Unfortunately, it looks like the honeymoon is over and we are no longer part of their fan club.  Here is our story in the event there are others out there that have/are experiencing the same problems.

DW and I are Full-Timers which was one of the biggest reasons why we chose the 42QD floor plan.  Having previously owned a similar coach with a full wall slide we loved the open interior design this design affords and were confident in the engineering/design having seen very few issues reported other than the standard issues inherent with any slide mechanism.  Within the first 6 months, however, we began to notice problems wherein the bedroom carpet began to show significant signs of premature wear and tear where the slide met the carpet whenever it was extended/retracted.  We reviewed this issue with our local dealer and at their recommendation decided it would be best to have this matter looked at in Forest City, Iowa at the Winnebago Plant.  Having already planned to travel the western states during the Spring & Summer it was no big deal to drive to Forest City as part of our journey.  By the time we arrived at Winnebago there were "black streaks" worn into the bedroom carpet that it could not be properly cleaned.  In addition to the black streaks, the carpet was worn and most of the carpet loops in the path of the slide roller/glide had been cut as if a knife had been used.  On August 15, 2011 Winnebago investigated the problem and found a rough edge on the aluminum ramp which appeared to be the cause of the damage to the carpet.  The damage to the ramp was corrected and the "glide shoe" was cleaned and the problem was deemed resolved except for replacement of the damaged carpet which Winnebago also agreed to cover under the original warranty.  Not comfortable that the actual cause of these problems had been found and fixed we decided to wait until we could return to our dealer to have the carpet replaced just in case the slide issues returned.  With the understanding that the carpet would be covered for another 12 months we resumed our travels.

Within days of leaving Forest City, Iowa it became obvious that the issues with the full wall slide had not been resolved.  The slide continued to transfer the black streaks and more and more fibers were cut/damaged to the point that the carpet began to ravel.  This information was relayed to our dealer in Florida and an appointment was scheduled for early October to again address this matter while still within the original 12 month original warranty.  On October 7, 2012 we arrived at Lazydays and they began to investigate our complaint.  The first thing they found was that the glide shoe was twisted and had a "notch" worn into the leading edge.  They also found that the trim on the bottom of the slide was bent and had very sharp edges. Additionally, it was discovered that the screws which were to secure the floor guide to the floor were loose and at least two screws were broken off.  Repairs included replacement of the glide shoe, removal/replacement of the missing & damaged screws and cleaning up the damaged metal edges.  During these repairs Winnebago was contacted to determine what had been done previously in connection with this problem and to determine what additional steps needed to be taken.  After consulting with Winnebago technicians, engineers and even the Regional District Manager and multiple "adjustments" it was determined that the slide room continued to drag on the trim at the end of the room (bedroom).  During this research it was also discovered that once again the metal trim was bent/bowed out and another screw had been sheared off.  At this point the Lazydays techs fabricated and installed  a nylon block to hold the end trim up and allow it to better clear the floor and prevent further damage to the end trim.  Once again it was decided to delay the carpet replacement until the slide operation could be observed and determined to be operating properly.

Approximately four weeks later with no further signs of carpet damage/wear and no "black streaks" the carpet was finally replaced and everything seemed to be finally working properly.

Fast forward ahead approximately 7 months to July 2012 and the problems began to return.  Once again the slide was leaving visible signs of "black streaks" and premature carpet wear.  On July 25, 2012 Lazydays again inspected the slide mechanism and once again found loose/broken screws which had damaged both the guide shoe as well as the bottom corner of the slide.  Repairs were made to replace the damaged guide as well as the slide trim and more "adjustments" were tried including the addition of an additional spacer to further raise the end of the slide where the previously installed blocks were showing major damage/wear from the weight of the slide.  At this point in time even though we were 21 month from our delivery date these repairs continued to be covered under our original warranty since they had first been reported within the first 12 months.

Moving forward to September, 2012 the bedroom carpet problem appeared to be resolved, however, we were now finding broken tiles at the front end of the slide where the rollers traveled.  Tiles were replaced (again under warranty) and the two front rollers were replaced at Winnebago's direction.
Life is good again and it finally seems like we have resolved the slide issues.

We are now up to September 2013 and the slide problem is back.  Same symtoms as reported almost 36 months ago, i.e. black streaks on carpet, metal & nylon shavings and excessive carpet wear in the bedroom.  Inspection of the slide in this area showed that the nylon block had again become damaged and the screws holding it were broken and/or missing is some areas. The guide block was also twisted/damaged and required replacement.
Although Winnebago was aware of the entire history of this matter it was at this point that they refused any further responsibility under warranty.  After several days of discussions between Lazydays and Winnebago their solution was to remove the blocks previously installed at their direction and allow the slide to "glide" over the carpet as designed which "should not" (their exact words) cause damage to the carpet.  Hello?  Is anybody listening?  After six instances of reporting not only carpet damage but damage to the slide trim I would think somebody would start looking for the actual cause of these problems and stop worrying about the cosmetics!  At that point Lazydays once again replaced the nylon block/spacer and reported the slide again working properly.  Yeah, right!  That lasted exactly two cycles of extending/retracting the slide room before the screws were once again sheared and the block dislodged. 

Left with no other alternative, and approaching the end of my 36 month Structural Warranty, I notified both Lazydays and Winnebago that I wished to file a claim against the Structural Warranty in connection with this matter.  Although I have not directly received any communication either verbal or written from Winnebago I was advised that they had relayed their response to Lazydays earlier this week that, in their opinion, they did not feel that the problems reported were of a structural nature and were denying my claim.  These are the same folks who 12 months ago directed Lazydays to install the spacer blocks and now their only solution is to remove the same blocks!  Does this sound as ridiculous to you as it does to me????  As far as Lazydays is concerned they will only warranty their work for 90 days. If they are going to perform the same "temporary" fix to what I consider a serious issue I wonder why I should waste my time even scheduling another appointment.

I believe my next step will be to have the slide inspected by an independent dealer and have them report their findings.  Obviously it does not make sense to take it back to the same dealer if they could not fix it the first six times!  I might be slow to catch on sometimes but I don't think I am dumb.  It is interesting to note that starting in 2013 Winnebago decided to install tile in the bedrooms of this unit in lieu of carpet.  I wonder why?  As much as I hate to waste money on attorneys (no offense to all you attorneys out there) it looks like we are headed that way. 

For all you Winnebago owners out there with the full wall slide be aware that the ever appearing "black streaks" and wear marks on the carpet are considered normal and "should not" cause damage per Winnebago Industries.  If you are one of the many owners I have talked to that have/are experiencing these problems, all I can say is.......Oops, sorry about that!

Long story and I almost stopped reading several times......... That really sucks and I am a bit shocked and dismayed that Winnebago isn't taking this issue more seriously.

It's not a safety issue so I doubt there is much that you can do legally other than keep having them repair it. However, I would strongly urge you to contact an attorney ASAP....... You could be dealing with a statute of limitations that could be ready to run out and you may be SOL......

It would be interesting to hear if other owners are having the same issue.

I can understand your frustration and need to take it to the next level. I would recommend a letter from an attorney as an official notice. Sometimes that alone will cause a reconsideration of the claim.  It sounds as though you have kept good records of the incident.  Names and times of contacts are always recommended.  Good luck and keep us abreast of what is going on.

WAVERY - The Structural Warranty is for 36 Months/36000 Miles.  I am within days of the expiration of the time frame but well under the mileage limits.  The letter I mailed to Winnebago and Lazydays was sent Registered/Return Receipt Requested so there is proof that they were notified within the warranty period.  As far as further action, their warranty states "Any action for breach of The Basic Limited or Structural Warranty or any implied warranty shall be commenced within one-year after expiration of the warranty".  Although I am not an attorney I believe this is pretty clear and gives me essentially 12 months from the end of this month to commence legal action if necessary.  Sorry for being so longwinded on my tale of woe but given the history there was not much that could be left out without deleting pertinent facts.

SARGEW - Yes, I am definitely frustrated.  After three years of being patient and even recommending this model to several friends, three of which have actually purchased, I feel that I have been duped.  So far, the only personal contact I have had is with the Winnebago District Manager which was totally useless.  This is the same person that directed Lazydays to add and then take away the spacer blocks.  Believe me when I say I have everything well documented including dates, contacts, etc. for every item of work done since delivery. 

One more note to add to the story.  I offered to Winnebago via Lazydays to pay the cost associated with upgrading from carpet to tile which they now offer as an option, provided they cover the expense of the slide modifications to add three rollers in lieu of the glide block used on the 2011 model after being told that the slide room structures were identical except for this mod.  This offer was totally ignored by both Winnebago and Lazydays.

JCMSr said:

WAVERY - The Structural Warranty is for 36 Months/36000 Miles.  I am within days of the expiration of the time frame but well under the mileage limits.  The letter I mailed to Winnebago and Lazydays was sent Registered/Return Receipt Requested so there is proof that they were notified within the warranty period.  As far as further action, their warranty states "Any action for breach of The Basic Limited or Structural Warranty or any implied warranty shall be commenced within one-year after expiration of the warranty".  Although I am not an attorney I believe this is pretty clear and gives me essentially 12 months from the end of this month to commence legal action if necessary.  Sorry for being so longwinded on my tale of woe but given the history there was not much that could be left out without deleting pertinent facts.

SARGEW - Yes, I am definitely frustrated.  After three years of being patient and even recommending this model to several friends, three of which have actually purchased, I feel that I have been duped.  So far, the only personal contact I have had is with the Winnebago District Manager which was totally useless.  This is the same person that directed Lazydays to add and then take away the spacer blocks.  Believe me when I say I have everything well documented including dates, contacts, etc. for every item of work done since delivery. 

One more note to add to the story.  I offered to Winnebago via Lazydays to pay the cost associated with upgrading from carpet to tile which they now offer as an option, provided they cover the expense of the slide modifications to add three rollers in lieu of the glide block used on the 2011 model after being told that the slide room structures were identical except for this mod.  This offer was totally ignored by both Winnebago and Lazydays.

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"Statute of limitations" has nothing to do with the warranty. Once the statute of limitations runs out, you cannot sue. Also know that companies often write things into contracts that will not hold up in a court of law. You cannot sign away your rights. They can write into the contract  "If you violate some term of the contract, you will be put to death"....... that doesn't mean that it is legal for them to kill you. However, once the statute of limitations has expired you are screwed...... pure and simple.

Warranties are usually "either/or, whichever comes 1st". If your 36 months expires, it may not make any difference if you have 500 miles or 500,000 miles on the rig. 36 months is 36 months in most cases. The fact that you have notified the manufacturer in writing and they have made several failed attempts to rectify the issue may help in court but it has little to do with the warranty period................... PLEASE contact an attorney and find out what your rights are...... If you wait too long, you may regret it.

I wonder how Winnabago would react to having lemons all over the rig and a statement that says " This Coach is a lemon and Winnabago is not capable of making proper repairs to it." driving around the country.


Lee

I am sorry to hear about the problems you are having.  Yours is not first I've heard of issues with Service from Winnebago.  We just purchased a new coach, and decided, once again, to get a Tiffin.  We looked at a Winnebago Tour, and we loved the design and layout.  They had a lot of new and ingenious design elements. After hearing stories like yours about Winnebago Service, our decision was clear. Tiffin doesn't have any less problems than the other coach manufacturers but they stand behind their coaches. The have fixed a number of items outside the warranty period when it was found that it was a manufacturers defect, at no cost to the owners.

TO ORIGINAL POSTER: Thanks for sharing your post with all of us and sorry to hear about this.  I also have the same coach as you, same year and so far have not experienced these problems.  I will say I have a very slight "dark spot" in the back on the carpet as you described so today I went to the coach which is stored inside and looked around the areas you mentioned.  I can see exactly what you talked about i.e. the plastic sled, molding and screws.  On mine, the sleds are secure as is the molding and screws.  I then looked at the front sleds and found the same.  It would seem to me that the only thing that could cause those problems you mentioned is the slide in either going in or out uneven causing one corner to hang up or it is not coming in or out properly when the slide drops or comes back up.  What would cause this is one of two things.  Alignment of the slide motors or a structural failure perhaps in the frame area.  You said, it was fine for awhile then back to the same old problem.  I assume you drove the coach after each time and then the problem came back?  If so, that would lead me to begin looking to more of a structural problem as the coach would flex when moving perhaps causing the re-occurring problem with the slide.  Let me put it this way, it was fixed and working on several occasions then you drove it and the problem came back.  So, perhaps the movement disturbs the fix.  I may be way off base but it only makes sense in mind.  Regardless, I hope you find the answer and let us all know.  Good luck to you.

Wow - sorry about that issue, but that's one that is new to this board.  Not saying there aren't others with the same problem but AFAIK, that's a first here.  Our driver's side (LR slide forward roller) has left a black mark on the carpet for years, we just clean it and move on.  It's irritating though  :.

JOHN - The problem with the "black streaks" is fairly typical and not just for Winnebago. From time to time we find similar streaks on the tile at the front of the slide and just clean it away.  No further issues on that end.......yet.  That said, if we were only talking about cleaning the carpet after a few cycles of slide activation it would be a non issue as far as I am concerned.  What concerns me is the evidence of sheared aluminum, nylon, etc. that appears in the carpet fibers after retracting/extending the slide.  Obviously this is not normal.

Funtime - IMO one of the reasons it sometimes take months for the problem to reoccur is that we spend several months a year parked in Florida.  When you factor this into the equation you begin to see the real timetable.  Work done in Oct-Dec timeframe and then we settle in for the winter.  Problems begin to appear Jul-Sep after being on the road for three or four months.  No travel....no problem!  Not exactly my idea of a solution to the problem.

As to whether there are others out there with the same problem here's another interesting fact. While at Lazydays during our most recent fix attempt there was an identical (same make/model/finishes) coach in the bay next to us that our same tech was servicing.  I asked him to look at the bedroom area to see if he could see anything different that might help us with our problem.  He came out of the neighboring coach shaking his head and said "they have the exact same problem".

Over the past three years we have tried just about everything to remedy this problem.  At one point we purchased a pair of carpet protectors (molded plastic shields with carpet grips on the bottom) to lay down each time the slide was retracted.  Those lasted exactly two (one for each piece) operations of the slide.  The weight of the slide at that end of the box destroyed the carpet protector and left us with nothing but broken plastic to clean up. 

I have read your story several times now. I used to have a 35' Journey with a full wall slide. One of my concerns was always the movement of the slide. And yours is probably longer than mine was.

Here is my take on the problem. If your slide mechanism is not perfectly in sync, then one corner is going to drag. This could even occur if a part in the mechanism was slightly irregular, like a running gear or a track that is just a fraction smaller than the parts on the other side. The slide motors are extremely powerful and will drag that slide along even if it's not straight.

I think that an unbalanced slide would cause the slide room box to "wrench" out of square, and cause the screws to work loose and then allow them to be sheared off by the slide shoe.

No amount of blocking would ever fix the problem until the room moves in and out evenly.  Just my 2 cents worth.

SargeW - I agree with the logic of your comments.  I hate to think that something that simple would have been overlooked during the last six times I was in for service but would not rule it out.  During this last appointment there was a great deal of discussion between the Lazydays techs and several techs/engineers at Winnebago.  Several days were wasted while things were inspected and numerous measurements were taken with the slide in various positions.  There are no visible signs of wear on the slide gears/rails in either the front or rear.  When the spacer block is in place the black marks and carpet wear disappear but over a period of time the weight of the slide is too much for the block to withstand.  With the block in place a great deal of weight is placed on the shoe/glide.  Without the spacer block all the pressure is on the carpet/floor which made me think that possibly the floor in the bedroom was high. Unfortunately using both a 4' and 8' level the floor seems to be completely level.  The only other thought I have had is that possibly the slide box is slightly bowed downward thereby exerting the additional pressure on the slide shoe in the rear.  Everything at this point is a guess but at least I can afford my hourly rates easier that having to pay a tech $85-$120 an hour to try to figure it out.

JCMSr,

First, really sorry you're having this problem. I can only imagine the degree of frustration you must be having. We're the 2nd owners of a 2011 42QD and, FWIW, have not experienced the problem you've described - at all (knock on wood). Had we, I'm sure I'd feel exactly as you. As funtime and Sarge suggested, I also believe the problem is likely being caused by some type of slide miss-alignment issue. When we bought this MH, I was concerned about potential alignment problems with such a large slide. After researching the topic fairly extensively, however, I found no apparent trend of these slides causing any recurring damage (I can't say that about some other manufacturer's full-wall slides).

One slide problem I did encounter, however, was I kept getting fault codes from the PowerGear control panel when I deployed the full-wall slide. This caused the slide to stop operating, which forced me to bypass the auto settings and retract the slide in bypass-mode. This caused that huge slide to retract somewhat unevenly. I did the best I could to retract it evenly but there's no doubt that that slide was being "tweaked" somewhat when it was coming in. That really bothered me, because I was concerned that it could lead to exactly the kind of trouble you're having. It didn't, because I discovered what was causing the fault codes and fixed it, but it was a concern while it was happening.

Is there any chance that the problem you're having was preceded by a recurring PowerGear fault code? If not, then I would strongly suspect that your full-wall slide, or the structure around it, is simply not aligned correctly. If that's the case, I can't think of any other way to fix it than to have the factory take detailed measurements of the slide and its surrounding structure throughout the slide's full range of travel. I don't even know if they can, or would be willing, to do that.

Kev

JCMSr,
I was just at Winnebago twice this month for slide related issues. One of the items discovered in my case was a missing bolt that supports/adjusts an intermediate guide pad in the center of our curbside slide. While not a full side slide it is the larger of our two forward slides. Just to eliminate one more possibility, inspect the top leading edges IN the cargo bays beneath that slide.

In my case there was an empty hole for what appears to be a. 3/8" bolt. When installed the bolt threads through this hole and into a slide block that helps support the weight of the slide in the center. Because this bolt adjusts the height of the block it is not necessarily threaded all the way in.

If the bolt has backed completely out you will find a hole. If it has backed off enough to not support the slide adequately you might find the bolt loose. In any event it is another thing to have them check.

Good luck.

I would imagine John K Hansen is rolling in his grave knowing what is happening to the customer service he was able to build during his years as founder and CEO.

Don't know what the lemon laws in Florida are but in California I would say you had a good case for replacement or buy back. Have had friends who had to get into similar situations and the most important part of the situation was to get an attorney that is familiar with the lemon law process.  Don't rely on your family lawyer or a recommendation from a friend.  Lemon law litigation is very specific and not all lawyers are equal in this respect.....Good luck.

Don G.

Getting Old said:

I would imagine John K Hansen is rolling in his grave knowing what is happening to the customer service he was able to build during his years as founder and CEO...

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Actually Winnebago's customer service is pretty darn good and over the years I have been personally been in contact with or involved in many instances of people that have had the benefit of goodwill repair consideration after their warranty expired .  It's not fair to the company to make broad sweeping negative generalizations based on anecdotal reports of problems in a public forum, so let's not go there.

Well said John!

Probably one out of millions of customers, but I am a satisfied Winnebago owner. No problems with customer service or dealers. Others may have had a different experience, but on this forum we tend to look at "one owner" problems and not the entire universe of W customers. I am truly feel your pain about your problems, but I think if you give W a chance they will fix it. If I was in your position I would be trying to love W rather than P them off!

Bill
2013 Via 25T

John Canfield said:

Actually Winnebago's customer service is pretty darn good and over the years I have been personally been in contact with or involved in many instances of people that have had the benefit of goodwill repair consideration after their warranty expired .  It's not fair to the company to make broad sweeping negative generalizations based on anecdotal reports of problems in a public forum, so let's not go there.

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I certainly have been the recipient of Winnebago goodwill repair and fully agree with John's assessment.

In my original post I made it a point to state that for up to 24 months Winnebago worked on this problem at no expense to me.  Whether this was considered warranty or goodwill I will just call is good business.  I would also like to point out that in all fairness there we other more minor issues that occurred after the initial warranty period which we also taken care of at no charge to us.  Unfortunately this is not a minor problem and it does not seem to be going away anytime soon.  We have been in for service a grand total of 6 times for this issue as of October 1 and the original problem still exists.  Had this been a problem that just cropped up I could most certainly understand Winnebago taking the position it is now taking.  Understand that they have not said it is not the same issue as was originally reported back in 2011.  They have just said that they are no longer willing to work on the problem at their expense.  I believe that given the cost of these units I should be able to expect most of the components to work for more than 6 to 8 months without breaking!