Not sure where to post this so I'll put it here.

I've got a 37 foot Keystone Sydney Outback 5th wheel. I bought this rig new in 2012 and it has never been wrecked and is parked under cover when not in use. Recently I noticed where the outer back panel was separating from the joint with the roof right in the middle of the rig. I contacted Keystone to see what to do and I was told to take it to an authorized Keystone repair facility to have it looked at. The nearest one to me was Southern RV in Tyler, TX., which is approximately a 75 mile round trip, so I took it there.

The service manager at Southern RV personally took a look at it and said the back wall was cut too short at the factory and that is what caused the separation. He also told me there was nothing I could have done to cause it. He took a bunch of photos of it and wrote up a ticket to Keystone to have it considered for repair at company cost since it was a manufacturing defect. Seems reasonable right?

Well, I heard from Keystone today and they are denying my request because the rig is a whopping 6 months out of warranty. It didn't matter to them that their own authorized repair facility said it was their fault, they basically told me to pack sand! I called Keystone and tried to talk to whoever makes that decision and I was told by the lady on the phone, who sounded about 15 years old, that those people only talk to dealers and don't talk to customers and there was nothing she could do about it!

So, it seems as though Keystone believes the shelf life of a $40K+ 5th wheel is 3 years! Now I'll have to go through my insurance company to try and fix a manufacturers defect or pay for it out of pocket because the company refuses to stand by their product! I issue the following warning to all: BEWARE KEYSTONE RV PRODUCTS!!!!

They will not stand behind them and won't even talk to the people that own their products!

Mac,

You are not only one I have heard about Keystone having a bad rapport.

My wife's aunt, had a similar problem then the electrical went haywire. They were so scared of it they stayed in the truck.

Where is Keystone located and where was the RV made at? Perhap's Pendleton, Oregon????

Are you aware of RV forums to post your issue's?
Keystone will respond swiftly if words get around.

Hmm. Thanks for the report Tommy. I've been seriously considering a Keystone travel trailer because I really like the floor plan. I may have to look at others' offerings.

There is a consumer advocate forum in one of the RV magazines that deals with this sort of stuff. Usually a letter from an RV magazine will get their attention. Good luck.

Wanna bet their reluctance and your posts on the net cost them FAR more than the repairs would have???

I had an issue with a company over their order takers screw-up recently and the main company went way out of their way to make me happy.