Issues

[GreG L.]

We feel fortunate we bought our 2020 in 2019 before they started cranking them out as fast as they can (all brands were doing this). We have had minimal issues doing over 8000 miles a year (FL to CA and back). Before we bought I sat on this forum and others for a year looking at issues, and I can tell you that the same issues exist on them all, even the so called top of the line. In the end we went with Montana for the features per dollar and saved $40,000.00 + over top of the line.
For those thinking about buying I would suggest not picking one up at the factory or close buy if you live far away just to save the delivery cost. The transportation to you will shake looks issues that may not come up until you drive away. Always have a comprehensive list of things you will check at pickup and send it to your dealer when they receive the unit, I did that and had to wait two weeks to pick it up, I believe they were going through my list and fixing things.

[Frank64]

We bought a 20th anniversary 3791RD 2019 There were very frw items we found on our initial walk through The awning needed adjusting There were two decal letters that needed replacing the storage under the RD one of the walls needed to be secured better Other than those few items the camper has been really enjoyable to use
With that said i have had 4 other hers and have had several issues They were Cedar Creek, 2- Coachman, and a Columbus
As others have mentioned there is always something just need to do a thorough walk through and have dealership fix it on the front end

[John and Barbara]

Only thing worst than Keystone is the dealers. Lazydays is a joke. Thanks for your service brother, I was in the Seabees.

[chandy]

FYI When mailing critical correspondence which you want to track always send it registered mail. You will get a return copy with the name of who received it. Easy to track from there. Chandy

[Byron B]

Welcome to the forum! The Montana line may be the top of the Keystone product line but not of the 5th wheel universe. We presently own 2 Montanas; one is our traveling rig and the other sits on 10 acres we own outside Ruidoso NM, semi-permanent. We also have a 2018 Mobile Suites we live in when ‘at home’ in Texas. The MS is pretty close to the top of the heap of the fiver pile. This is our second Suites. The first we bought new, pulled it around the country for about 40k miles then sold our bricks n sticks home and lived in it full time for 10 years. Yes, we presently own 3 fivers.
You are fortunate that you are able to work on your rig. It is a necessity to be able to keep it in good repair without breaking the bank. Don’t hesitate to ask questions here. Lots of EXCELLENT advice and a wealth of knowledge to be found here.
Again, welcome!

[Jritz]

Lots of comments on this one! I for one am extremely happy with my 2020 3855br. Yes there have been a few things go wrong with it over the 25,000 miles that I have pulled it so far, but it like everything else, sometimes you need to understand that things are going to happen. Like someone said if your not handy your not going to be happy.
Happy trails and welcome to the forum.

[JanCouch]

It’s a shame you didn’t get the model that included the free drill behind the stairs.

[dmheil]

We bought a 2020 373RD. The very first time we used it, the leg broke off of one of the dining chairs. They replaced it under warranty no problem. The next trip, another chair leg broke. We replaced all four chairs with decent dining room chairs. Problem solved. On the first annual inspection, they fixed other problems that had come up during our first year of use. We only traveled 5700 miles that first year, because of the pandemic. Of course the tires failed (ranier) and they were replaced in January with Sailuns for this travel year. My original tires...I had an explosive tire failure on the Interstate. When they were replaced two more of the tires had steel belts coming through the sidewalls. Everything else that has gone wrong has been just an irritant and easily fixed. I try not to worry about little things and just take care of as much as I can myself.

David

[catch up with the zzzz]

to weigh in my opinion I would never order a rv. Dealing with an item that is hand manufactured in mass. The quality of construction can very greatly. when I decided to get a 3791rd, I went to dealerships and searched inventory. A lot can be told by the state of the finish work. How well features are installed and how well parts are put together. The main components are the same in all rvs. domedic or lippert and so on.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by Amtracker

I am a recent owner of a Montana 3791RD. After being told that Montana was the top-of-the-line RV, we bought a 2020 Montana. If Montana is the top of the line in the industry, I hate to see the worst. I am lucky that I have the technical ability to make repairs. Thus far, I have corrected these items: Stereo, two steps lights, bathroom sink faucet, shower faucet, rocker slide-out switch, closet door, bathroom door, divider wall from kitchen to living room, furnace, blinds (x3), main RV entrance door, and the automatic vent in the bathroom. After many years in the US Marine Corps, when a problem occurs, you alert the Commander; you always have a recommended solution. I wrote a three-page letter to Keystone with recommendations and never received even an acknowledgment that they read the letter. I review the problems on the Montana RV club page and see all the same issues. I only wonder how long the RV manufacturers will get away with putting out junk. In many states, we could buy a house for what we pay for these units—just venting my frustration.

One of the reasons for buying an RV is to have lot's of little projects to keep us old diyers happy. Montana top of the line, I hardly think so. Better than average for sure, but a long way from the best. I hear even DRV's have problems. They all use pretty much the same gear inside. Montana uses mennonite farmers IIRC for assembly line work, not sure about the others but most are built in one place so probably the same labor pool.

[masterdrago]

I know this does not help but our first, only and last 5r is the 2018 3791RD we got in Oct. 2017. Very few problems which I've dealt with myself, being an appliance repair guy for over 53 years. I've heard stories like yours many times with issues getting help from Keystone. My best advice is always to work thru the dealer but sometimes that can be hard for a number of reasons. Good luck.

[scuba dude]

I am approaching my one year anniversary of the purchase of my Montana 3813 legacy package. I am happy to say that with just a few problems we are very happy with our 3813. I had a door lock problem which locked us out at a bad time of course. A problem with that famous generator transfer switch and a couple of paint bubbles. I think personally that's not bad. It all boils down to dealer. Pick your dealer well. Always keep in mind every time this thing rolls down the highway it is going through a major earthquake for hours at a time.With all that said with all the electronics that is on my camper and all the things that can go wrong with these new high end campers I actually purchased my first extended warranty. Not at the dealer I got mine off line. We did our research and got a seven year 50 dollar deductible which covers most things and also provides mobile service at just a little over half dealers price. Goodluck everyone with there travels. Be safe because things are getting worse everyday with crazy people out there.

[Byron B]

Originally Posted by scuba dude

I am approaching my one year anniversary of the purchase of my Montana 3813 legacy package. I am happy to say that with just a few problems we are very happy with our 3813. I had a door lock problem which locked us out at a bad time of course. A problem with that famous generator transfer switch and a couple of paint bubbles. I think personally that's not bad. It all boils down to dealer. Pick your dealer well. Always keep in mind every time this thing rolls down the highway it is going through a major earthquake for hours at a time.With all that said with all the electronics that is on my camper and all the things that can go wrong with these new high end campers I actually purchased my first extended warranty. Not at the dealer I got mine off line. We did our research and got a seven year 50 dollar deductible which covers most things and also provides mobile service at just a little over half dealers price. Goodluck everyone with there travels. Be safe because things are getting worse everyday with crazy people out there.

From whom did you get a reasonable price on your warranty?

[scuba dude]

Eagle Vision RV, We got the Open Road Policy. Wife did all the research. Narrowed it down to two. Don't recall name of number two or why we settled on this one. One thing that helped was we purchased it within 30 days of purchase of camper. Other wise you have a inspection done on the camper.

[DebNJim B]

A boat is often described as a hole in the water into which you pore money. Going into this I expected an RV to be a hole behind my truck where I would dump money. I was not disappointed.
Having said that our 2018 3731FL that we purchased in 2017 has given us few problems. We are on our third microwave, all replaced under warranty. A pesky bathroom pivot door that I finally think I've fixed to work right. One bent axel that was not covered under extended warranty. All the rest I just fix myself as they have been minor and usually little or no cost involved.
I have done several mods to make it our own and that is where most of my $ have gone. Generally we are satisfied with our purchase and consider it as well made as anything else out there.
Maybe when Toyota starts building RV's we will see a real challenge on the quality front.

[dfb]

My wife and I have decided if there is one more major issue with our 15 3610 legacy, IT IS OUT OF HERE..Keystone uses the Cheapest parts available.. Examples.. the black plastic molding at the top outside near the roof that hides the screws for the roof disintegrated in year one..Using NON galvanized screws and hardware outside and under is another cheap move.. Screws that held the fender skirsts going into basically nothing.. I know, silicone them or use fender washers.. Thing is.. as owners, we should not have to fix their crappy work..
When first took ours out the Thetford Toilet did not hold Water!. This is a major issue with this product owners wide... Instead of telling thetford," On your next shipment to Keystone fix this issue or we will be using Dometic.. This problem went on for years... We have had the Rear Axel spring bolts break out and off.. We have had a water heater not connected from the factory. Cieling Blades Falling off the fan and onto the floor.. Led lights going out.. No biggie.. The Fireplace wont' turn off without banging on the frame.. The tires were balled within 5000 miles.. Had the axles aligned.. Last trip the black water tank came apart at the seams.. Then, the big Slideout would not go in straight... As soon as we fixed this 1200 later, the BEDROOM slide gear box busted.. They put a new gearbox and slide motor in... While bringing the trailer back home and moving the bedroom slide in, the cables grabbed the NEW MOTOR and RIPPED IT OFF THE WALL!!This was 530.00 plus 700 when we got home.. . Had new Tires put on it and when they jacked up the Trailer they put the jack under the rubber spring instead of under the axle near the drum.. This caused the rubber springs metal ears to Spread out and tearing the rubber!.While backing the new Trailer with our new Ram, the trailer hit the truck causing 2000 in damage..2000 miles on a 78000 dollar truck.. Driving along the coast in Oregon a logging truck sent a piece of lumber thru the front cap... In Arizona someone was leaving and scratched the entire side of our Montana... I had a blowout in Nebraska.. While lifting the tire to put on the drum, I experienced an "HERNIA".. In Mammoth We had the awning out as it snowed the night before...Bringing the Awning down I broke my thumb..Now when my wife says , Lets take the RV somewhere, I break out in a cold sweat... Starting to think a root canal without Novocaine might be better...

[phillyg]

Dfb, I hear your pain and agree with you, to an extent, but a lot of what you experienced was nothing to do with Montana's quality, or lack thereof.

[scuba dude]

Do you have life insurance?

[Wisconsin Retiree]

Well here I go... recently, I was in a Foretravel motor coach for 2 years (: Awesome coach pure quality construction) sometimes to a fault. . However, Unfortunately an engine issue arose 3 times in six months, $8000 later no one could figure it out. I sold my coach & upon recommendations from others I decided to go with what I thought from my extensive research a quality fifth wheel which most rave about...I bought a 2019 3121RL and honestly where is the quality for the money I spent? IMO I feel this trailer has some good pluses but I live in it and it is nothing like what people have raved about.. I get that the industry offers the same old same old amenities but really for the price u could buy a cheaper fifth wheel knowing in 3 years the thin walls and veneer covered wood will be trash. I am only being honest. Too many issues for a year old trailer that I paid big bucks for...why is everyone building these newer units up to be more than they truly are? I am lucky to skilled & deal with my issues because I even paid for a 48 months warranty but the dealership always needs 3-4 weeks to fix something...I will continue to use and tolerate the cheaper product than what I had expected but I truly believe this will be my first & last Montana...

[JimM86]

Hi just bought ours the same model 2 days ago. Love it but the shower space and shower head adjusting is terrible. Keeps falling down from the bar it’s mounted to. Had to put a tie wrap to hold in one area. We are average height and weight people and it’s a small space. Looking for comments thanks Jim