--- title: "Beacon frames crack at the pin box and the upper deck" kind: "owner-report" recall: false brand: "vanleigh" model: "beacon" year: 2020 slug: "vanleigh-beacon-frame-flex" url: "https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/vanleigh/beacon/2020/vanleigh-beacon-frame-flex" markdownUrl: "https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/vanleigh/beacon/2020/vanleigh-beacon-frame-flex.md" --- # Beacon frames crack at the pin box and the upper deck Owner reports are not official NHTSA recalls. Each report cites a public complaint, bulletin, forum thread, or manufacturer page. It is not a failure rate, a diagnosis, or a repair procedure. **Owner report** · Frame · 2020 Vanleigh Beacon ## Symptoms NHTSA complaint ODI 11578767, filed on a 2019 Vanleigh Beacon, says a Beacon 39GBB frame broke near the fifth-wheel hitch. The owner wrote that the crack ran along a longitudinal beam in the forward section that connects the main body to the area over the bed, that the fiberglass was damaged, and that only one side of the frame was still connected to the hitch. Complaint ODI 11740808, on a 2021 Beacon 39FFB, says the frame fractured on both sides between the king-pin structure and the upper-deck riser, in a section that was not a weld, and that the king pin moved upward more than 2 inches into the front of the RV. Complaint ODI 11578784, on a 2021 Beacon 41FLB, says upper-deck frame welds broke, the wall structure broke, and the front slides came loose. The owner wrote that the coach was inside a 3-year frame and structural warranty and that Vanleigh refused the claim. That refusal, and a repair figure of $16,000, are the owner's. Complaint ODI 11578377, also on a 2021 Beacon, says the front frame welds that hold the walls cracked, and that the cracks show while the coach is being towed. Complaint ODI 11569747, on a 2022 Beacon, says a gap started on the side panels near the overhang on the first trip. The owner wrote that the dealer called it excessive frame flex, that the coach went back to the manufacturer, and that the flex was still there afterward. On the Vanleigh RV Owners forum, Stuart wrote on March 14, 2024, that a 2020 Beacon 39FBB had the wall pull away from the frame at a broken weld, and that Tishomingo repaired it under warranty in April 2023. On November 1, 2024, Onthelake22 wrote that a 2019 Beacon 34RLB at that shop was diagnosed with frame flex. A separate thread titles a 2021 Beacon 39FBB as a structural failure at the pin box, and another owner on that thread describes a Beacon with a separation on each side of the overhang. These filings and posts do not show one cracked frame on every Beacon. ## Likely causes The complaints describe a cracked or fractured frame at the hitch, the king pin, or the upper deck, and welds that hold the walls. The 2022 complaint says a dealer called the gap frame flex. The forum posts describe a wall that separated at a weld and a pin-box separation. They do not give one measurement that fits every floor plan. ## Common fixes If the front cap, the trim under the overhang, or a front slide column moves when you hitch or unhitch, stop and look before the next tow. A frame that has already cracked at the king pin is what the 2019 and 2021 complaints describe. Do not keep towing a coach whose hitch is held on one side. The 2020 owner wrote that Tishomingo repaired the wall attachment under warranty. The 2022 owner wrote that the coach went back to the manufacturer and the flex was still there. A reply on the forum names Affinity RV in Goshen and Tishomingo as shops that have done this work, and puts one side of a painted unit at Affinity around $8,000. That figure is the reply. Ask Vanleigh or the shop to look at the upper deck and the pin box, and ask whether the visit is warranty, before the next trip. ## DIY difficulty Seeing a gap or a crack is what these owners describe. The frame work in these accounts was a shop or the manufacturer. There is no published procedure here. ## Parts needed No Vanleigh part number is named. The complaints describe the frame, the king pin, upper-deck welds, and the front slides. The forum posts describe the wall attachment and a pin-box separation. ## Warranty notes This is not a recall. The 2021 41FLB owner wrote that Vanleigh refused a warranty repair. The 2020 owner wrote that the wall repair was warranty. The 2022 owner wrote that the coach went back to the manufacturer. A complaint is not a coverage decision for another Beacon. The years on this page are 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, which are the years these reports name. A 2023 Beacon is not a year on this site. ## Sources - [NHTSA complaints for 2019 Vanleigh Beacon (ODI 11578767)](https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=VANLEIGH&model=BEACON&modelYear=2019) - [NHTSA complaints for 2021 Vanleigh Beacon (ODI 11740808, 11578784, and 11578377)](https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=VANLEIGH&model=BEACON&modelYear=2021) - [NHTSA complaints for 2022 Vanleigh Beacon (ODI 11569747)](https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=VANLEIGH&model=BEACON&modelYear=2022) - [Vanleigh RV Owners thread on frame flex, including a 2020 Beacon 39FBB and a 2019 Beacon 34RLB](https://vanleighrvowners.com/t/frame-flex-breakage-discussion/113) - [Vanleigh RV Owners thread on frame-flex repairs, including a 2021 Beacon 39FBB](https://vanleighrvowners.com/t/frame-flex-repairs/19) Year page: [2020 Vanleigh Beacon](https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/vanleigh/beacon/2020) HTML page: https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/vanleigh/beacon/2020/vanleigh-beacon-frame-flex