Sailing the Mountain Aire!

[TJ&LadyDi]

Looks like we weren’t quite as lucky with the awning as I had hoped. When our detailer was here today, he took a close look at it from a ladder and pointed out that the front of the awning was not closed as tightly as the back. It apparently did twist some in its encounter with the TA pump canopy. He said it feels secure, so should be OK to travel.​

While the awning stills runs in and out OK, it isn’t right. I feel Girard/Newmar should replace the awning at no cost to us Because it is a known problem. And, if it isn’t fully right, it isn’t right at all as far as I’m concerned.

I will be communicating with both companies this week and asking for a full replacement

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

Hope you get it.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Hope you get it.

Yeah, probably a long shot. I’m beginning to lose confidence with Newmar and their suppliers. Our recent Kwikee step issue finally had to be resolved on my nickel even though Newmar was the initial cause of the problem and then didn’t fix it properly. Stuff like this makes you wonder.

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

I wonder, just as a sort of ace in the hole, if you could gather a collection of signed reports from others that had the same thing happen. I know there are numerous reports of this on IRV2, if you presented Newmar with such a stack of signed reports, how they would respond. Perhaps if they responded negatively, these reports might somehow make their way to the NHTSA, consumer reports, RV Magazine or some investigatory journalists.

 

[J&JD]

Yeah, probably a long shot. I’m beginning to lose confidence with Newmar and their suppliers. Our recent Kwikee step issue finally had to be resolved on my nickel even though Newmar was the initial cause of the problem and then didn’t fix it properly. Stuff like this makes you wonder.

TJ

You might check with Girard as a simply adjustment might solve the alignment problem. Thinking back on the previous threads about this problem I don’t think either Girard or Newmar owned up to the problem. Good luck Tj, go get em.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Here is the text of my request sent to both Newmar and Girard:

“Requested Corrective Actions for the Unanticipated Deployment of a Girard awning on a moving 2018 Newmar Mountain Aire 4047

“On Thursday, May 14, 2021, at about 11:30 am PDT, my wife and I were traveling on I-5 in Oregon in our 2018 Newmar Mountain Aire 4047 (Coach # xxxxxx). We pulled off the freeway at Aurora, Oregon, traveled a short distance on a frontage road and entered a Travel America (T/A) truck stop to get diesel fuel.

“As I exited the coach, I heard a very excited truck driver behind us blowing his horn, yelling and saw him pointing at our coach. The single (front) Girard awning on our coach was fully extended and partially folded up against the diesel pump canopy support post. The truck driver told me that the awning had started to deploy when we were on the frontage road approaching the T/A station and was fully deployed by the time we had entered the pump area and contacted the canopy support post.

“I immediately retrieved the remote unit from its holder on the coach wall behind the passenger seat and activated the “IN” button. The awning retracted to what appeared to be a normal position. Since we were enroute to a destination in Montana, we were unable to do an extensive evaluation of any damage until we arrived at our destination.

“After fueling, we moved to a safe location and I called Newmar customer service (at 11:59 am PDT) to seek assistance on how to electrically disable the awning to prevent another unanticipated deployment during the remainder of our current trip. I spoke with Erica Miller who then contacted Girard Awnings (The Girard Group) and their collaborative recommendation was to disconnect the power cord to the awning control box. Erica assisted me in finding and unplugging the control box. I was assured that with the control box unplugged, it was safe to continue our travels. We are most grateful for the professionalism, concern and customer service displayed by Ms. Miller. This conversation can be verified by speaking with Erica Miller at Newmar and examining phone records of calls she answered on Thursday, May 14, 2021.

“Since arriving at our destination in Polson, Montana, on May 15, 2021, we have been able to more closely examine the awning for damage and have extended/retracted it several times. The motion in either direction was not as smooth as before the awning deployed and contacted the canopy support. It now has a jerky motion to it. In addition, the awning appears slightly skewed in the retracted position, with the front edge not fully seating and set back to the rear a bit. It is now obvious that the awning has suffered damage and appears to have been twisted. I believe that it may have suffered potential structural damage as well.

“I have since learned of several other recent and similar unanticipated deployments of the Girard awnings while coaches were moving. And, I know that at least some of those unanticipated deployments have previously been reported to both Newmar and Girard, so this is a known issue with this product. Apparently, no fix has been developed to resolve this problem.

“Unanticipated awning deployments involving moving coaches create both a serious damage potential to the coach and pose a very serious safety threat to nearby vehicles and occupants that might be struck by flying awning parts if/when it comes apart.

“We are requesting four things from Newmar and/or The Girard Group;

“(1) replacement of the damaged Girard awning on our coach at no cost to us,

“(2) immediate notification of all Newmar owners with Girard awnings that there is the potential for unexpected deployment while the coach is moving,

“(3) the development of interim procedures for all Newmar coach owners with Girard awnings to effectively disable the awning while the coach is moving and

“(4) implementing a recall of all Girard awnings installed on Newmar coaches for modification to prevent unanticipated deployment at any time, whether the coach is at rest or moving.

“Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. We will await your timely response before considering any further action to resolve this issue.”

We’ll see what happens. The next step would be to forward this text to the NHTSA as an official vehicle safety complaint. I want Newmar and Girard to have the opportunity to step up and do the right thing before taking that step, however. Only time will tell!

TJ

 

[redbaron]

I would not wait for nhtsa. I would do this now. It's a time bomb waiting to happen and a safety issue. Some one may die because of this, and newmar has proven that they will not do anything.

My fix was a direct result of newmar telling me to keep it unplugged while in the garage. They knew about this problem in 2018.

A massive recall will only happen when forced.

If mine had deployed on the road, the NHTSA would be alerted, and I would be running a campaign for others to make alerts too. That is how I was successful in getting a recall for Freightliner dash. It takes very little effort and a whole lot of waiting.

 

[Neal]

My prediction:

Newmar: "This is the first we've heard of this. I'm sorry but you're outside of warranty."
Girard: "If you can bring it to us we'll gladly take a look at this and see what we can do to resolve the alignment issue."

Wishing the best for your outcome @TJ&LadyDi but more importantly doing what's necessary to protect fellow RVers and motorists. This issue is not new and I'm interested to see what Girard has to say. It reminds me of the ITR OASIS electrical short wiring issues where it really does come down to Newmar's installation and wiring and not the vendor. Why have we not heard of this issue with Girard on other coach vendors? Or is this happening on others?

 

[redbaron]

I agree with @Neal ... and that kind of BS is why we can't let this get swept under the rug.

I think you should cross post your story to all outlets and forums. Get the word out there, and make this something that newmar & Girard cannot ignore. This was a very expensive option to have added to an already expensive coach.

 

[Neal]

I agree with @Neal ... and that kind of BS is why we can't let this get swept under the rug.

I think you should cross post your story to all outlets and forums. Get the word out there, and make this something that newmar & Girard cannot ignore. This was a very expensive option to have added to an already expensive coach.

Don't forget editors of magazines.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

We received a call from Girard’s Director of Sales and Service, Johnnie Mathiasen, this morning and had a very productive conversation with him. Girard is stepping up and taking ownership of this issue.

Nothing heard yet from Newmar, but Girard has already talked to Erica Miller at Newmar this morning and confirmed our contact with her last Thursday regarding the unexpected awning deployment. I am impressed with Girard’s quick response and indication that they will make things right.

During my conversation with Girard this morning, Johnnie seemed genuinely unaware that there have been several other reported cases of unexpected awning deployments and indicated that he would like to know of any other documented cases. You can contact him at [email protected].

TJ

 

[Neal]

For any Newmar owners that have had an unintended deployment of your Girard awning, please share your story here so we can raise awareness. I know of several here that have had their Girards deploy while parked, in garages, in service centers, etc. It's important to document this and I offer to start here so we can help collect the data.

 

[NWIP]

For any Newmar owners that have had an unintended deployment of your Girard awning, please share your story here so we can raise awareness. I know of several here that have had their Girards deploy while parked, in garages, in service centers, etc. It's important to document this and I offer to start here so we can help collect the data.

In addition to what I posted in #6, I was at Daytona Road Race in February this year. There are lots of different type of RVs around and we had our awnings stowed, but plugged in as we had been using them periodically as the wind allowed. Our front awning deployed uncommanded as we were sitting next door at another coach.
Don’t know the caused the deployment but lots of RF signals in the area.

 

[Neemer]

I learned something interesting today about mine. There is an ignition lockout, but it doesn’t function as I thought it would.

I started the engine and placed it in gear with my foot on the brake. I reached up and hit the “out” button on the awning control. Nothing happened. I sat there for a minute to see if anything would happen with time, and nothing did.

I then placed the engine in neutral and engaged the parking brake. I thought I would go outside and check things out. As I was exiting the coach, I noticed the awnings were deploying. Holy crap, I’m glad I was clear of my port.

I got back in the coach and released the parking brake. The awnings retracted.

So, it appears that at least on mine, the parking brake is the boss. I went through Newmar’s documentation and found nothing at all about how this interlock works.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

That’s very interesting. In our case, the awning stayed extended even when the parking brake was applied (the engine was still running as well). It retracted when I pushed the “IN” button on the remote, however.

The good news on our situation, however, is that Girard is providing a new awning and electronics, and has us set up at Premier RV Service in Junction City, Oregon, to have the new equipment installed. Girard is treating is very well.

I am assured that Premier RV Service will go through the entire system (from ignition interlock on up) to make sure everything is working correctly. Girard makes awnings to order, so needs a bit of lead time. We have an appointment in late June to have the work done on our coach.

And, we have an appointment just prior to that at RV Glass Solutions in Coburg, Oregon, (just a few miles away from Premier RV Service) to have the windshield replaced.

TJ

 

[Neal]

TJ,

I'm glad they are taking great care of you. I'm still deeply concerned about all the other Newmar coaches out there with Girards that are at risk and motorists that are at risk as a result. I hope this matter will be addressed across all affected owners via recall or some form of inspection and correction to ensure safety for all.

 

[J&JD]

I learned something interesting today about mine. There is an ignition lockout, but it doesn’t function as I thought it would.

I started the engine and placed it in gear with my foot on the brake. I reached up and hit the “out” button on the awning control. Nothing happened. I sat there for a minute to see if anything would happen with time, and nothing did.

I then placed the engine in neutral and engaged the parking brake. I thought I would go outside and check things out. As I was exiting the coach, I noticed the awnings were deploying. Holy crap, I’m glad I was clear of my port.

I got back in the coach and released the parking brake. The awnings retracted.

So, it appears that at least on mine, the parking brake is the boss. I went through Newmar’s documentation and found nothing at all about how this interlock works.

That’s very interesting. In our case, the awning stayed extended even when the parking brake was applied (the engine was still running as well). It retracted when I pushed the “IN” button on the remote, however.

The good news on our situation, however, is that Girard is providing a new awning and electronics, and has us set up at Premier RV Service in Junction City, Oregon, to have the new equipment installed. Girard is treating is very well.

I am assured that Premier RV Service will go through the entire system (from ignition interlock on up) to make sure everything is working correctly. Girard makes awnings to order, so needs a bit of lead time. We have an appointment in late June to have the work done on our coach.

And, we have an appointment just prior to that at RV Glass Solutions in Coburg, Oregon, (just a few miles away from Premier RV Service) to have the windshield replaced.

TJ

We have dealt with Premier in the past. They treated us very well. They replaced a radiator in our previous coach. I’m confident they will resolve your issue. Looking forward to your feedback.

 

[sheridany]

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Thanks. @sheridany, for posting that video. It is great to be able to put faces to the people I talked to yesterday about our pending awning replacement; Louie and Gary. I was impressed by both of them and we’re looking forward to meeting them.

That’s an incredible facility they have there. And, lots of history associated with it.

TJ

 

[Gizmo]

My 2017 Ventana LE (Less Expensive) has a switch that turns the awning on and off separate from the in and out switch and that's on our checklist to check before leaving.