Catastrophic tire/wheel failure, PLEASE READ!
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" ****. 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.
The POOR customer service response is unforgivable. The issues above put me and my family in DANGER!!!!!!!!
I will try to attach photo's
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" ****. 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.
The POOR customer service response is unforgivable. The issues above put me and my family in DANGER!!!!!!!!
I will try to attach photo's
