Montana sidewall cracks at the front slide on 2020 through 2023 coaches

Owner reportFrame

Symptoms: Keystone service bulletin KSB-210122 V2, dated January 17, 2024, describes a crack at the bottom corner of a slideout at the gooseneck on 2020 through 2023 Montana and High Country Montana fifth wheels. It also lists 2020 through 2022 Avalanche and Alpine fifth wheels, and 2020 through 2023 Fuzion fifth wheels. An earlier version of KSB-210122 says 2020 and 2021 Montana and High Country Montana fifth wheels may develop sidewall cracks at both front slideouts, and that only a unit that develops a crack needs the repair. NHTSA complaint ODI 11642276, filed on a 2022 Keystone Montana, says the coach is a High County 385BR. That is the owner's spelling. A crack appeared below the front bedroom slide and the slide stopped working correctly. The complaint says a dealer ran a flex check, measuring from a fixed point on the hitch to the lower frame on the jacks and again with the weight on the king pin. The owner was told the limit was 1/2 inch, and the coach measured over 1 inch. The complaint says the shop found broken aluminum framing welds and what looked like cracked structural welds, and that Keystone first provided repair procedure KSB-210122 V2. On the Montana Owners Club, one thread says the flex people are seeing is broken welds between the Lippert frame and the aluminum uprights, and that the fix discussed there is to take the front cap off and reinforce the sides. That thread says Keystone covered the repair on a six-year-old 3790RD. A separate thread says cracking around slide cutouts comes from interior frame welds coming loose, points to a service bulletin, and includes an owner whose Keystone warranty repair re-welded wall studs and added structure after the three-year structural warranty had just ended. The model year of that coach is not stated.
Likely causes: KSB-210122 V2 is a repair procedure for a crack at that corner. It tells the technician that broken welds on the sidewall tubes are handled when the wall is reinforced with wood and metal. It does not say every Montana in those years will crack. The 2022 complaint describes broken aluminum welds and a flex measurement over the 1/2 inch figure the owner was given. The forum posts describe broken welds at the aluminum uprights and around slide openings. They do not show one cause on every floorplan.
Common fixes: KSB-210122 V2 says the remedy is to remove the sidewall skin, add reinforcement, replace the skin, and add expansion joints at the top and bottom in front of the slide opening. It says to watch a Keystone video first, and that the bulletin is for trained RV technicians. It requires pre-authorization and photographs if the dealer submits it for warranty. The earlier 2020-2021 version also says to repair broken or cracked joints, add gussets, and stuff wood into sidewall tubes that are missing it. Forum owners describe Keystone authorizing that kind of wall repair, including on a six-year-old 3790RD and on a coach just past the three-year structural warranty. Those are individual accounts. The bulletin says not to assume the repair is covered, and that not every listed unit needs it.
DIY difficulty: Not a DIY job in these sources. KSB-210122 V2 says the instructions are for trained technicians with the tools to do the work, and it says they are not for driveway repairs.
Parts needed: KSB-210122 V2 names panel-bonding adhesive KRV 207257, sealant KRV 346665, and an H-shaped expansion-joint cover, KRV 426646 in ivory or KRV 600813 in black, plus a fiberglass skin, graphics as needed, lumber, and screws. It says the listed adhesives are the only ones acceptable for that repair. The earlier version names the same adhesive KRV 207257 for the wood studs.
Warranty notes: KSB-210122 V2 says the information is not a promise of warranty coverage, that Keystone's warranty policy has to be followed, and that a dealer needs pre-authorization and photographs to submit it. The flat-rate code in that version is 7301342A. Forum posts describe Keystone paying for some of these repairs after the structural warranty period. A complaint is not a warranty approval for another Montana. NHTSA complaint ODI 11642276 names a High Country floorplan and was filed under the Montana model. The High Country year pages on this site use the same bulletin.

Sources

Official recalls for the 2023 Keystone Montana

Owner reportFrame

Symptoms

Keystone service bulletin KSB-210122 V2, dated January 17, 2024, describes a crack at the bottom corner of a slideout at the gooseneck on 2020 through 2023 Montana and High Country Montana fifth wheels. It also lists 2020 through 2022 Avalanche and Alpine fifth wheels, and 2020 through 2023 Fuzion fifth wheels. An earlier version of KSB-210122 says 2020 and 2021 Montana and High Country Montana fifth wheels may develop sidewall cracks at both front slideouts, and that only a unit that develops a crack needs the repair. NHTSA complaint ODI 11642276, filed on a 2022 Keystone Montana, says the coach is a High County 385BR. That is the owner's spelling. A crack appeared below the front bedroom slide and the slide stopped working correctly. The complaint says a dealer ran a flex check, measuring from a fixed point on the hitch to the lower frame on the jacks and again with the weight on the king pin. The owner was told the limit was 1/2 inch, and the coach measured over 1 inch. The complaint says the shop found broken aluminum framing welds and what looked like cracked structural welds, and that Keystone first provided repair procedure KSB-210122 V2. On the Montana Owners Club, one thread says the flex people are seeing is broken welds between the Lippert frame and the aluminum uprights, and that the fix discussed there is to take the front cap off and reinforce the sides. That thread says Keystone covered the repair on a six-year-old 3790RD. A separate thread says cracking around slide cutouts comes from interior frame welds coming loose, points to a service bulletin, and includes an owner whose Keystone warranty repair re-welded wall studs and added structure after the three-year structural warranty had just ended. The model year of that coach is not stated.

Likely causes

KSB-210122 V2 is a repair procedure for a crack at that corner. It tells the technician that broken welds on the sidewall tubes are handled when the wall is reinforced with wood and metal. It does not say every Montana in those years will crack. The 2022 complaint describes broken aluminum welds and a flex measurement over the 1/2 inch figure the owner was given. The forum posts describe broken welds at the aluminum uprights and around slide openings. They do not show one cause on every floorplan.

Common fixes

KSB-210122 V2 says the remedy is to remove the sidewall skin, add reinforcement, replace the skin, and add expansion joints at the top and bottom in front of the slide opening. It says to watch a Keystone video first, and that the bulletin is for trained RV technicians. It requires pre-authorization and photographs if the dealer submits it for warranty. The earlier 2020-2021 version also says to repair broken or cracked joints, add gussets, and stuff wood into sidewall tubes that are missing it. Forum owners describe Keystone authorizing that kind of wall repair, including on a six-year-old 3790RD and on a coach just past the three-year structural warranty. Those are individual accounts. The bulletin says not to assume the repair is covered, and that not every listed unit needs it.

DIY difficulty

Not a DIY job in these sources. KSB-210122 V2 says the instructions are for trained technicians with the tools to do the work, and it says they are not for driveway repairs.

Parts needed

KSB-210122 V2 names panel-bonding adhesive KRV 207257, sealant KRV 346665, and an H-shaped expansion-joint cover, KRV 426646 in ivory or KRV 600813 in black, plus a fiberglass skin, graphics as needed, lumber, and screws. It says the listed adhesives are the only ones acceptable for that repair. The earlier version names the same adhesive KRV 207257 for the wood studs.

Warranty notes

KSB-210122 V2 says the information is not a promise of warranty coverage, that Keystone's warranty policy has to be followed, and that a dealer needs pre-authorization and photographs to submit it. The flat-rate code in that version is 7301342A. Forum posts describe Keystone paying for some of these repairs after the structural warranty period. A complaint is not a warranty approval for another Montana. NHTSA complaint ODI 11642276 names a High Country floorplan and was filed under the Montana model. The High Country year pages on this site use the same bulletin.

Montana sidewall cracks at the front slide on 2020 through 2023 coaches

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Montana sidewall cracks at the front slide on 2020 through 2023 coaches

Sources

Related