Awning rolling in with light breeze

[MountainFolk]

Contact GD. I am working with Jerry Weaver and he is sending/shipping me a replacement arm free (I had the same issue as you, except just light wind), to have dealer replace.
There are other threads on this issue in this forum also.

We have a 2017 Momentum 376TH. After only having it for a week, the rear awning broke during a rain. We are being told this is not covered under warranty!


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[Benny and Valinda]

Yes. I have been following them closely. Do you happen to have Jerry's email or phone number?

[MountainFolk]

His email is: [email protected]

[Benny and Valinda]

Thank you. I am going to email him and I will keep you informed with my progress.

[Benny and Valinda]

This is going to be a long post because I am copying the email I sent and the GD response. I had previously spoke with JD at GD when I initially had my issue and he advised me that Carefree felt it was wind damage and would not warranty it. I emailed Jerry Weaver with GD on the 18th of August and I received the following reply.
From: Twiggs, Benny M [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2016 5:38 PM
To: Jerry Weaver <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Awning arm problems

Sir,

I am sure you have heard about the issue I am about to present. I purchased a 2016 Momentum 350M Serial # 573FM4020G1202616 in April 0f 2016 and
on our first trip (5 days after the purchase) we had a wind (<15 mph)come up and while I was rolling in the large awning (as the manufacture states) the rear arm bent double. I was able to get the bent arm secured to the main frame with a ratchet strap for the trip home. I called my dealer (Dixie RV in Defuniak Springs, Fl.) and advised service of the issue. Bob, the service manager, asked me to send him pictures of the damage and he would submit a warranty claim but it could take a few weeks to be processed. We had another trip with friends planned the next weekend and I didn’t want to travel with the arm held in place by a ratchet strap so I purchased the arm and had it installed by the dealer ($693.18). The dealer kept the old arm for the warranty process. After a week or so Bob called me and advised that GD/Carefree stated it would not be covered under warranty. I called and talked to JD at Grand Design and he said that GD had submitted the claim to Carefree but they stated that it was wind damage and therefore was not covered. I was really surprised to hear that but somewhat accepted the answer. I didn’t feel the wind we experienced was strong enough to cause the damage it did to a awning arm unless there was a weak point or materiel failure of sort. I then posted on the Grand Design Forum my experience and asked if anyone else had experienced a similar problem. After reading other rv'ers having the same problems and me experiencing the cost to repair, my wife and I are afraid to extend the awnings for fear of a repeat. I read of others who feel the same.

Let me say, I could accept the failure had my awning been left extended and unattended and a storm with 20-30 mph winds came up and damaged it but that was not the case. NOTE: My RV, the newest one in the park was the only one to receive any damage. I feel, as several do on the forum, that there is a weak point on the arm at the cutouts for the bolts which is causing the failures.

One of the reasons we purchased the GD Momentum 350 was the high regard we had heard from customers about your customer support but I am reading a variety of dispositions of claims from covered under warranty, parts only- no labor, to not covered under warranty and I can't see any standardization. If a awning arm buckles from the wind and a 10X10 EZ-up set up and is not secured to the ground is not even moved or damaged there must be a problem somewhere.


Copied below are some of the posts from the forum with similar problems. I see 8 on the forum not counting mine since May 2016 and there is no way for me to know how many have had issues but are not posting on the forum. One post stated his dealer had 5 other units there with the same issues. See last post.

GOBB61 5-09-2016 This was a surprise. On our first outing with our 328M Momentum the wind picked up to around 15mph and the smaller awing over the garage personnel door began to roll up on 1 side. Later the large awning started doing it as well, No problem I called the dealer and he said sounds like a weak strut, made sence to me. So after dropping it off last week I called to check (because the never call you with an update) and was told that nothing was wrong just to roll it up with any wind and in the rain. I have had several TT and I know with heavy or gusting wind to roll in the awning but for 10-15 mi wind never did. In Fl or along the coast we almost always have a breeze. Based on their advice the awning would never be extended. Anyone else experience this issue?

RoadRunner 05-31-2016 Has anyone replaced an awning support arm before? Right before turning in Saturday night, light rain coming down heard a commotion, stuck my head out the door and seen the support arm had buckled. Not a wind issue, there's wasn't any, just a light rain so I guess it wasn't angle well enough to allow it to run off?. Think it would be a warranty claim? Thanks for input

coopedw 06-04-2016 I too just had an arm collapse under a rain . Shop charged me and my insurance $1100 to replace just the one arm .

TerryM 06-13-2016 can you give the part number this arm? I have the 2016 Momentum 388, wind buckled my arm this weekend before I could get it rolled in.

James3406 8-03-2016 We just took delivery of a 376 here in Tampa. Spent the night in Tampa at Lazy Days, then proceeded to Sanford to a camp site(we both work and I travel for work) there for a week to check out the new digs. We put out both awnings on Sunday upon arrival and left them out. Yesterday my wife came back at lunch to let the furry kids out and went back to work, came back after work to do some things and left again. Imagine my surprise when I get a call from her in tears because the short rear awning is collapsed. We had a very mild summer drizzle with very little wind (less then 10mph). After seeing this thread I believe GD may have an issue with their awnings.
After a call to the dealership and then GD they agreed to pay for parts but not the labor.

Dan73177-8-3-2016 I have a brand new 2017 350m the 2nd time we used It we had a very light breeze, ( I had a easy up 10x10 tent set up and not even tied down). I ran inside and right back out to see both of my awnings laying on the roof and all four arms buckled. We were in a field with about 20-30 other trailers and mine was the only one. My wife contacted carefree and even the gentleman there told her the new longitude awnings are weak. I contacted my dealer and they got with grand design and carefree and they are covering all my arms under warranty. When I took the trailer in the dealer said they have 5 other trailers with the same issue. I'm gratefull they are covering them but hope carefree can find a solution. I'm going to be very gun shy to use them again.

MountainFolk 08-10-2016 I also had my rear awning arm collapse from a small breeze on our first trip.
I had a mobile repair guy come out and help me secure the awning to the trailer, then
I drove it to a local non-GD dealer (because the GD dealer in town was too busy) and they took the arm off. I finished my vacation with
my awning inside my trailer.
Had to wait over a month (taking it in this Friday) to get scheduled with my dealer for repairs.
I am still waiting for my awning arm to show up, Jerry had Carefree ship it to my house

Beach jeep girl 8-14-2016 We have a 2017 Momentum 376TH. After only having it for a week, the rear awning broke during a rain. We are being told this is not covered under warranty!

DAN73177 Talked to carefree they are using a new Awning on the 2017s it's called the longitude. The guy at carefree told us they are having issues with these awnings.Carefree is going to warranty these awning arms but I hope they upgrade or I will feel uncomfortable using these again. My dealer told me they had 5 more trailers with the same issue as mine. Hopefully carefree can change something up.

Thank you for your reading and any answers you may provide,


Benny M. Twiggs

The following is Jerry's response:

From: Jerry Weaver [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2016 7:23 AM
To: Twiggs, Benny M <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Awning arm problems
Benny, I talked to JD on this and he said that it was wind damage not awning arm failure and Carefree said they wouldn’t cover it as a warranty. Sorry jw

My response back to Jerry;
JW,

Thanks for your reply, but that didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I still feel that there is a weak point in the arm where the cut outs are for the adjustable arm spring pins and if you look at the other GD owners having similar problems with light winds buckeling the arms, it would indicate that the Carefree statement of <20 mph winds is incorrect. I understand that Carefree has to make a determination based on the owner being truthful about the wind speed whenever the incident occurred but I know that when mine occurred there was a thunderstorm approaching but the wind gust was less than 20 mph when mine occurred. I cannot afford to utilize my awnings with the chance that a gust of 15 mph may buckle the arms and cost $700.00 or more to replace.

Thanks again.

[MountainFolk]

Sorry your answer was NO, I think you are getting "hosed"

[klemdotter]

Does anyone know of a make and model of an awning that won't fold up under normal use? Sounds like maybe the only solution is to replace the junk
Carefree stuff they install on these trailers with a quality product. If it looks like the possibility of rain, roll in the awning. If the wind is anything but dead calm, roll in the awning. I have been RV'n for over 25 years and have never heard such BS as this.

[JCR GD]

Has anyone been able to confirm if all of these are the same model " longitude" by Carefree or is it across several models? Mine don't look like either of the pictures from the other thread.

[MountainFolk]

Jim,
my rig is at the dealer right now. I could not find anything on the arm or awning (rolled up) before
I took it in. Jerry Weaver told me it was a carefree model, unknown if it is the longitude. I am Assuming
it is
Seth

[steve gravelle]

GD needs to respond to this situation by putting a better quality product on their towables, something that better matches the quality image they present. Like the Lippert grease and brakes situation, GDRV should encourage their awning supplier(s) to do good will adjustments. The folks that tie their awnings down probably have experienced this disaster, or listened to someone elses experience. We have dodged damage over the last 2 plus years, but our Solera awning has sail characteristics too.