Frameless window blows off in transit

Jim@HiTek wrote:
I had no idea those safety exit windows blew out so often...

Who the hell wants to admit to FUBARing simply latching a window? :B I =thought= I'd latched mine properly, but I saw it swinging and was able to get stopped before I lost it.

Lyle

I had no idea those safety exit windows blew out so often...

bapple wrote:
We have a 2017 Keystone Avalanche 300RE. While in transit we lost one of our emergency exit windows. We have contacted Keystone and they don't think it is a warranty issue. Has anyone else lost one of these windows?

You might try Trekwood for the window if you get no satisfaction from the builder/dealer. They show about $300 for the window though.

BarneyS wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Snip...
I did find somebody on EBay in MI who had a selection of Kinro windows. Not mine unfortunately. Did not bookmark their site but the location is Adrian, MI & I recall that Adrian is in the name of the business. Do recall seeing some frameless windows listed as well.

Good luck.

Me, I am going to try & order one through a boatyard where I do my annual trailer refit every April. Change it myself.

That could very well have been Bontragers RV Surplus located in White Pigeon, MI. They are a very large surplus company and probably would have the window you are looking for. I have been there many times and am always amazed at the inventory of parts they have. Located somewhat near Adrian and also near Elkhart, where most RV's are made.
Barney

Thankyou. My kind of place.

BarneyS wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Snip...
I did find somebody on EBay in MI who had a selection of Kinro windows. Not mine unfortunately. Did not bookmark their site but the location is Adrian, MI & I recall that Adrian is in the name of the business. Do recall seeing some frameless windows listed as well.

Good luck.

Me, I am going to try & order one through a boatyard where I do my annual trailer refit every April. Change it myself.

That could very well have been Bontragers RV Surplus located in White Pigeon, MI. They are a very large surplus company and probably would have the window you are looking for. I have been there many times and am always amazed at the inventory of parts they have. Located somewhat near Adrian and also near Elkhart, where most RV's are made.
Barney

Arizona RV Salvage is also a pretty big operation. https://www.azrvsalvage.com

Lyle

laknox wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
On our 07.5 MobileSuites we were traveling on I-10 West from Phoenix to Palm Springs, CA. Passing a MH as I was looking in mirror for a second look as I was just starting to cross the center line. All I saw was the escape window flip out and OFF right in front of the MH!!!

We along with the MH pulled to the shoulder. Thankfully their rig was not damaged, they said ti was flopping down and out as we were passing them. They said as I was just starting to pull into the right lane it flew odff and EXPLODED in front of them.

Of course when cruising thru the Campground looking for a spot we had lots of "did you know your window was missing" questions!

Went to HD got a pc of plywood and secured the window. Contacted DRV they sent a whole replacement unit frame and all at their cost as RV was not under warranty.

What happened was there was a chair right in front of the escape window latch. I had no idea there was an escape window since it was a new to us RV. The latch back then was two turn type latches that had come loose. NOT DRV's fault.

So when the window arrived I removed the operable portion and put it in place, fit perfect. Then I removed the locking handles after latching then. I then caulked that thing in place with black quality caulking. This window was in the living area so I had no safety issue removing it. I still had the one in the bedroom that mattered.

FWIW, I believe that it's a regulatory issue, that there are 2 emergency exits. From what I've heard here and there, an officious busybody =could= cite you for having an inop exit, but who's going to let someone like that in without a warrant? :B

Lyle

They can bite me!

I did tell the Dealer I traded it to that I caulked it shut and the handles were in a drawer if they wanted to make it operable.

Veebyes wrote:
Snip...
I did find somebody on EBay in MI who had a selection of Kinro windows. Not mine unfortunately. Did not bookmark their site but the location is Adrian, MI & I recall that Adrian is in the name of the business. Do recall seeing some frameless windows listed as well.

Good luck.

Me, I am going to try & order one through a boatyard where I do my annual trailer refit every April. Change it myself.

That could very well have been Bontragers RV Surplus located in White Pigeon, MI. They are a very large surplus company and probably would have the window you are looking for. I have been there many times and am always amazed at the inventory of parts they have. Located somewhat near Adrian and also near Elkhart, where most RV's are made.
Barney

About ten years ago there was a recall for the same thing in framed escape windows. We had one but I was able to correct the latching mechanism myself.
So if you do end up paying, hold on to your receipt because you may eventually get reimbursed.

bapple wrote:
Thanks to everyone who has responded to this post. Your responses have been very helpful.I am currently working with my dealer to get this covered through warranty. Keystone is not accepting responsibility. I wonder how Keystone would feel if the window came of in transit and caused a serious accident. A lawsuit would sort this issue out in a hurry. Thanks again folks.

A suit by a third party, injured by your flying window, would hurt you far worse than the manufacturer. Bottom line is it's an operable window, and you can't prove that you were a responsible operator of the vehicle, who latched the thing properly. You may be the victim of a totally defective product, or you may be totally at fault. Either way, good luck with proving your opinion of what happened.

No if you are talking about a suit against the manufacturer to address the fact that you are owned a new window under warranty, it would most likely be a total waste of time and effort. You would probably have to file a suit representing yourself, as your own council, since no lawyer is going up against a mega-corp to do battle over a window, worth a few hundred bucks. particularly since you are completely unable to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the issue wasn't a result of your failure to properly latch the thing. Next you would be up against a legal department that might not even bother to respond, since, in their eyes it would be a nuisance unworthy of such. In the event that they were compelled to respond, they would simply do the "grind and drain". They would waste your time and money until you were into the mess for 10-20X what the window is worth, stressed and sick of it all. All of which gives you the incentive to do exactly what they wanted you to do from the start, which is go away. Sorry, but that's the cold hard truth.

I had a friend who tried to sue me for big bucks, since he was misusing a ladder of mine, and fell, breaking his arm. My insurance company and ladder manufacturer never even bothered to get their lawyers involved, since it was, in their eyes, a nuisance that needed to be squashed like a bug, without wasting money on lawyers. After a few months of getting impressively jerked around by both parties, the ex-friend's lawyer realized that he wasted a few thousand of his own money, while failing to pull off a hail Mary play to hit a jackpot. He then tells his client he wants $5K to keep going, 1/3rd of the winnings, with the client paying all further expenses in advance.

That pretty much sums up how "nuisance suits" work in corporate America. The little guy threatening to sue only makes them yawn, and once you go through with it, they screw with you until you give up.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
On our 07.5 MobileSuites we were traveling on I-10 West from Phoenix to Palm Springs, CA. Passing a MH as I was looking in mirror for a second look as I was just starting to cross the center line. All I saw was the escape window flip out and OFF right in front of the MH!!!

We along with the MH pulled to the shoulder. Thankfully their rig was not damaged, they said ti was flopping down and out as we were passing them. They said as I was just starting to pull into the right lane it flew odff and EXPLODED in front of them.

Of course when cruising thru the Campground looking for a spot we had lots of "did you know your window was missing" questions!

Went to HD got a pc of plywood and secured the window. Contacted DRV they sent a whole replacement unit frame and all at their cost as RV was not under warranty.

What happened was there was a chair right in front of the escape window latch. I had no idea there was an escape window since it was a new to us RV. The latch back then was two turn type latches that had come loose. NOT DRV's fault.

So when the window arrived I removed the operable portion and put it in place, fit perfect. Then I removed the locking handles after latching then. I then caulked that thing in place with black quality caulking. This window was in the living area so I had no safety issue removing it. I still had the one in the bedroom that mattered.

FWIW, I believe that it's a regulatory issue, that there are 2 emergency exits. From what I've heard here and there, an officious busybody =could= cite you for having an inop exit, but who's going to let someone like that in without a warrant? :B

Lyle