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Old 06-29-2016, 07:51 PM   #1
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Catastrophic tire/wheel failures, please read

I just returned from the travel from hell. Then upon return, only to find out the real backing Crossroad has for their product. I will try to keep this short to the point, but forgive me if it goes longer. It's been quite a week.

First let me tell you, the Crossroads Cruiser I am talking about was purchased and received in March of 2015. I have towed it approximately 3500 miles since ownership. This NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED!

We left NH for the Outer Banks 10 days ago. While driving south on 95 in New Haven Ct, a lady drove up to the side of me waiving and pointing to my trailer. I looked back to see the side of my wheel wells blowing in the wind. I quickly pulled over only to discover my tire was missing and my axle inches from the pavement. In order to shorten this story, I will only say, the lug bolts that hold the wheel to the hub had sheared off! I was lucky enough to have the BEST CT state worker ever be the safety vehicle that showed up 40 minutes later after I had called into Good Sam's Roadside Assistance, only to have questions from them being, "Have you called the Manufacture yet?" No! I am trying to stay alive on the side of this crazy highway with rush hour traffic buzzing by me at 70 MPH!!!!!!!!

The unit received considerable damage to the camper side and wheel well from the tire flying off!

I got a mobile repair company to finally come to repair the hub. The Owner/Repairman said he had never seen all 6 bolt shear off like this. He took pictures and we had to get part numbers for replacement bolts. The Crossroads Customer Service contact told him to take pictures and send them to him, they had a recent recall on the same issue. Please take note of this, because it may affect you in the future too!

He replaced the bolts and got us on the road again.

We continued on the trip. I am assuming we got another 2 to 3 hundred miles. We were on what I will describe as a "Hot Wheels" track off ramp. We were at the top and KABOOOOOOM!!!!. My wife starts screaming "Stop the truck, the camper is on fire and smoking!!!!" Obviously, I can't safely stop the truck there in that 1 lane ramp. I pull forward to a safe area and pull off. The tire that flew off the trailer earlier had blown. So we sat to call Good Sam's to get the question, "Is this the same issue you called about this morning?" "No, This is a new issue with the same tire!"

So we get the tire replaced, and on we go. You would hope this is the end of the story. NOOOOOOO

I get the blown tire replaced at a Goodyear store close to the campground we stayed at in MD. The store Manager looks at the tire and says, "That is a failure in quality, this is a newer tire". I agree and ask him to put on a better Goodyear tire and plan on replacing the rest when I return to NH. End of story, right? NOOOOO

On the return trip back to NH, Just south of our last tire issue, my son who has been following me pulls up next and starts pointing to pull over. I do only to find ANOTHER tire is smoking and losing tire pressure! Another exchange with Good Sam's roadside assistance, only to again here from the repairman, "This is a newer tire! These are Junk!"

I limp the unit back into our campground (same as our southern trip) and return to my friendly Goodyear man. I get the 2nd tire replaced only to hear him say, "You gotta get these junk tires off the trailer before your next trip"

So this is what I found through internet research on the side of interstates while waiting for repairmen. Crossroads had a recall for units (which mine was the model of, but one year off) for lug bolts snapping off and leaving the trailer. That the Chinese tires that Crossroads puts on their units have also been the subject to recall for faulty quality. So you would think I would be all set when I contact Crossroads. Think again!!!!!

I contacted Crossroads today only to be quickly rejected because the first repairman in his email put the possible failures on the lugs were the lug quality failure or the bolts tightened excessively. Of course they said it was because "I" tightened them to excess. I told them I had torqued them to their suggestions (110 PSI with a Torque wrench). I was told by the Customer Service rep that my unit wasn't part of the recall. And that the repairman stated it was due to "excessive tightening of the bolts" CRAP. Ever since I have owned this trailer, 1 year and 4 months I have used a torque wrench and found all bolts snug. If they were overtighten, it was done at the factory or the driver delivering the unit!

This is the response you can expect from Crossroads! I cannot explain how upset I am with Crossroads! I have already made a complaint to the US Dot NHTSA. I have spoken to the repairman who replaced the bolts who said he in no way meant to tell them I was at fault for overtightened the bolts. I will be contacting the State AG's office to complain about Crossroads lack of acceptance of responsibility. And will pursue further legal avenues.

The POOR customer service response is unforgivable. The issues above put me and my family in DANGER!!!!!!!!

I will try to attach photo's
Attached Images
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File Type: jpg 20160617_122655.jpg (208.4 KB, 39 views)
File Type: jpg 20160625_172425.jpg (142.8 KB, 36 views)
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Old 07-04-2016, 10:57 AM   #2
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Wow. Not a good trip.
Have you contacted Lippert as it looks like their axle?
I've never heard of axle lugs breaking off being too tight. Always due to too loose.
What tires did you have on this unit. The tire looks to have damage on the inside edge. Any thoughts of under trailer damage that could have affected this tire or was this the tire that supported the side missing the tire while driving. It could have easily overheated with that much weight?
Lastly, didn't you feel anything as the wheel came off and the trailer ran without a tire?
Hope no one else got the brunt of a tire rolling down the roadway, freewheeling.
Good luck. Keep us posted.
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Old 07-04-2016, 01:40 PM   #3
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The foreign made tires didn't happen to be TowMax, were they?

Lots of threads in this and many other RV forums about issues with those tires.
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Old 07-04-2016, 02:05 PM   #4
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You've never twisted off a bolt by overtighten it? I was taught long ago to torque the lugs & check again in a few miles, but DO NOT continually retorque or it weakens the lug bolts by overtightening or crushes/cracks the wheel especially if the wheels are aluminium.
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Old 07-04-2016, 03:21 PM   #5
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I'm not convinced that you have to test the lug nuts before each trip. You don't do it on cars and trucks where there is much much more torque on the wheels and lugs. Think this started long long ago and to me, it's like an old wives tale.
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Old 07-04-2016, 04:10 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
You've never twisted off a bolt by overtighten it? I was taught long ago to torque the lugs & check again in a few miles, but DO NOT continually retorque or it weakens the lug bolts by overtightening or crushes/cracks the wheel especially if the wheels are aluminium.
I've broken many smaller bolts, over tightening. I've never broke off an axle lug by ovetightening it. Anyone else out there ever broke one off? I bet it would take around 175#'s or more to snap. Maybe even strip out the nut first?
How many times have you seen the tire shops just use an impact wrench to tighten?
I always use a torque wrench to know my torque range.
I do agree with Mark about not having to check as often as many recommend but there is more side torsion created when you have tandem or triples and checking isn't a bad thing.
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Old 07-04-2016, 06:24 PM   #7
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I've mentioned this in other threads. After seeing how factory wheels and tires shake on the wheel balance machine, I am convinced the fact they don't balance wheels could be the cause of so many tire and wheel failures.
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Old 07-05-2016, 04:41 AM   #8
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Hi guys,

I didn't contact Lippert. I contacted Crossroads. My first contact with them didn't go so well. But they followed up with a Lead Service Advisor who was much more understanding. They made an offer which satisfied me and when they follow through with it I will post more.

I checked everything I could under the unit. I thought the same thing with the blown tires that maybe there was something in contact with them. Couldn't find anything. The tires have less than 4K miles on them. The trailer is at CW now. I didn't write down the brand of the tire but I don't think it was Tow Max. But on my many hours sitting on the side of the road, I was googling the brand. There were many complaints and a couple recalls.

A few things I was lucky on with this trip:
Nobody got hurt
I was assisted by the BEST state worker in CT!
I took the Tire and Wheel replacement Insurance when I bought the unit. They paid for my 2 new tires.
Our destination was just AWESOME! The Outer Banks was spectacular. We made our reservations to return next year!
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Old 07-05-2016, 10:54 AM   #9
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Glad to hear someone's now listening and hope for the best results.
Keep us informed as I really would like to hear more about how those lugs sheared off.
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Old 07-09-2016, 09:16 PM   #10
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What an adventure! Please keep us posted. Your experience may help someone in the near future. I too am afraid of Chinese time bomb tires.
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Old 07-10-2016, 04:18 PM   #11
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If you don't mind me asking, what was the name brand of the tires.
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Old 07-10-2016, 06:24 PM   #12
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I'm sure, by looking at the tire pattern, that the tires are Lions Head, Vail Sport Radial ST tire. It is the only ST tire in the USA market to feature a tread pattern with Hydro-Dispersion technology.

By the way, very hard not to get an ST tire not made in China. I believe 99% are made in China, including Goodyear Marathons.
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Old 07-10-2016, 10:48 PM   #13
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Part of it is us. Yesterday I bought a microwave for $36. Last month, tires for $60 each. Last year, my TT for $16K. General Motors is gasping for air. Zenith and RCA are gone. (My first VCR, an RCA, cost over $700) PPG, and the rubber industry has left America. The only reason RVs are made in the USA is because they are too big to ship, and too fragile to make the trip. In the New World Order, use sites like this to stay smart, and react accordingly.
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Old 08-08-2016, 01:31 PM   #14
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conclusion

Hi guys,

I had said I would post the final conclusion after Crossroads followed through with their offer. I just got the final check from them today for all of my on road expenses (Mobile Repair that replaced the new lugs on the hub). The trailer is in CW being repaired for the body damage. Crossroads is putting on 4 new hubs and all new lugs around. I would like to thank Crossroads for stepping up to the plate in the end. My first contact with them wasn't very positive. But by being thorough, and finding the right person to talk to it paid off.
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Old 08-08-2016, 04:09 PM   #15
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good deal !

I can't tell you the number of 5'ers and tt's we saw on the side of the road coming back from Colorado Springs through Texas to Dallas with blown tires !
110 degree temps and bright sunshine on black asphalt made for some HOT tires !

I would go to LT rims and tires if at all possible and save the st's to put back on when you trade


************
I wanted to stop and help those on the roadside, but after losing two days of vacation to 'repairs' - we were holding our breath as well with some motorhome issues - so just wished them well as we went on...
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Old 08-08-2016, 07:48 PM   #16
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Glad Crossroads stepped up and made it right! Sometimes it take a few calls. Did they ever determine exactly what caused the lugs to break off?

Goodyear Marathons are not a great tire on the heavy rigs but could be used on the lighter ones.
I have a set of 4 16" with about 1200 miles on them and if anyone is interested just come get them if your in my neck of the woods here in CT. I took them off before my first trip.

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Old 08-09-2016, 04:44 AM   #17
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Steve, why do you say they aren't good on big/heavier rigs?
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Old 08-09-2016, 03:06 PM   #18
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Just my opinion but there have been way to many blow outs on rigs with the Marathon tires that are in the 13000 lbs. range and above. Good Year does a great job and has stood behind the damage they do when one does blow for the most part and it's not pretty. After reading all the reviews I took them off my rig before the first trip and put on the GY G114's. My weight is around 14,500 lbs.

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Old 08-10-2016, 05:03 AM   #19
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My rig is in the 11K pound range. Hope that makes them a better fit. Since I already bought them. lol.
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Old 08-12-2016, 04:53 PM   #20
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I see you got more miles on your tires than I did. I purchased a Crossroads Cruiser 333RL in April 2016. We took our first trip July 26 from Texas to St Petersburg, FL. We got about 900 miles and we got a flat tire. Fortunately, it just got flat with no damage to the RV. It had the Lionshead Vail ST tires. As soon as we got to Florida, I replaced all 4 of them with Carlise HD trailer tires. So, I spoke with Camping World when we got back and they said to go through Crossroads. That was a wasted call. They advised to go through Lionshead. Well, Lionshead needed pictures of the faied tire and fill out a warranty form. The tires were kept by the mobile tire service who replaced them for me. Who knew to keep them or take pictures. No one informed me what to do with a tire issue. Not happy with CW, Crossroads and Lionshead. Glad I got rid of them.
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