We have a Class A 2011 Fleetwood Bounder. We purchased RV in 2013 and at that time the furniture was fine. There was some cracking and peeling of the leather in the drivers chair and back of the couch in 2015. This year all of the furniture has excessive cracking and peeling of the Ultra Leather. I contracted Lazydays upholstery department and they indicated that they have seen this problem before because of defective leather being used by the manufacturer of the furniture. I sent pictures to them and they sent me the quote of $2000 to reupholster the driver and passenger chairs and couch. They recommended I buy a new recliner because it would be cheaper than reupholstering it. I contacted Fleetwood and they declined to do anything about this problem because it was to far out of warranty.Has anyone else had this problem and, if so, what was the outcome?

seskins wrote:We have a Class A 2011 Fleetwood Bounder. We purchased RV in 2013 and at that time the furniture was fine. There was some cracking and peeling of the leather in the drivers chair and back of the couch in 2015. This year all of the furniture has excessive cracking and peeling of the Ultra Leather. I contracted Lazydays upholstery department and they indicated that they have seen this problem before because of defective leather being used by the manufacturer of the furniture. I sent pictures to them and they sent me the quote of $2000 to reupholster the driver and passenger chairs and couch. They recommended I buy a new recliner because it would be cheaper than reupholstering it. I contacted Fleetwood and they declined to do anything about this problem because it was to far out of warranty.Has anyone else had this problem and, if so, what was the outcome? Even though it's past warranty and no fault on your part Fleetwood should stand behind there product! This is poor customer service! When I owned a Fleetwood I had a problem with my couch (it was not leather) and they fixed it. What Fleetwood is doing to you could make the difference of getting a return customer!

Ultra leather is vinyl so typically has a shorter life. Especially for people that are very active and get up and down many times per day or while traveling, or for others who may sit in the same spot every time.Many people find replacement furniture at RV reclamation centers instead of trying to reupholster. Or, if you travel in Mexico, lots of low cost reupholstering options down there.

We had a similar problem with our driver's seat. We went to Shipshewana, IN, purchased the necessary leather to re-do the bottom of the seats (did both), and had Lazydays vendor do. Did a great job, and material purchased is better than original.

One thing some have missed on this post. The OP purchased USED. That means he has NO STANDING when requesting Goodwill repair on a Motorhome. As to the material, I do not know if Tiffin used the same material on some of their units going back that far, but yes, there have been chairs and sofa/couches that have peeled from a bad batch of vinyl/leather. Tiffin will replace if you take it back to Tiffin in Red Bay if out of the original warranty. Remember, this unit is over 6 years old. Doug

Ultra Leather is not vinyl. It is a polyurethane on a rayon fabric and if it is really Ultra Leather and not a cheaper knock-off is very durable.I reupholstered all of my fabric covered motor home furniture with UltraLeather Plus and after 6 years of full time use it was still in great shape when I sold the motor home.There are a lot of cheap knock-offs on the market and some manufacturers have used them. There have been a lot of complaints about those that did.As I recall we paid about $40 or $50 per yard for the UltraLeather and we used about $1000 worth for two captains chairs, the couch and the dinette cushions.

Defective Ultra Leather on Flexsteel Furniture | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

Jim
Explorer
Nov 26, 2016
I used vinyl as a generic term meaning 'man made material'. I'll be more careful next time.

As far as the early wear issues that many experienced with a seemingly bad batch of 'ultra leather', it wasn't just confined to Tiffin products. My brothers Class C has the same early threadbare condition as does a friend's Class A (brand names escape me ATM).

I wonder if low humidity and/or owners reluctance to do maintenance on it might not have something to do with it?
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Nov 25, 2016
Any local upholstery shop should be able to handle the redoing of your furniture. It does not have to be an RV shop. They will also give you a more complete choice of fabrics, do it quicker, and probably do a better job than Flexsteel.
I do remember that there was a problem with some of the knock-off Ultra leather material, but as mentioned, it is way out of warranty so you are on your own.
Clay_L
Explorer
Nov 25, 2016
Ultra Leather is not vinyl. It is a polyurethane on a rayon fabric and if it is really Ultra Leather and not a cheaper knock-off is very durable.
I reupholstered all of my fabric covered motor home furniture with UltraLeather Plus and after 6 years of full time use it was still in great shape when I sold the motor home.
There are a lot of cheap knock-offs on the market and some manufacturers have used them. There have been a lot of complaints about those that did.
As I recall we paid about $40 or $50 per yard for the UltraLeather and we used about $1000 worth for two captains chairs, the couch and the dinette cushions.
dougrainer
Nomad
Nov 25, 2016
One thing some have missed on this post. The OP purchased USED. That means he has NO STANDING when requesting Goodwill repair on a Motorhome. As to the material, I do not know if Tiffin used the same material on some of their units going back that far, but yes, there have been chairs and sofa/couches that have peeled from a bad batch of vinyl/leather. Tiffin will replace if you take it back to Tiffin in Red Bay if out of the original warranty. Remember, this unit is over 6 years old. Doug
RLHAMILTON
Explorer
Nov 25, 2016
We had a similar problem with our driver's seat. We went to Shipshewana, IN, purchased the necessary leather to re-do the bottom of the seats (did both), and had Lazydays vendor do. Did a great job, and material purchased is better than original.
Jim
Explorer
Nov 25, 2016
Ultra leather is vinyl so typically has a shorter life. Especially for people that are very active and get up and down many times per day or while traveling, or for others who may sit in the same spot every time.

Many people find replacement furniture at RV reclamation centers instead of trying to reupholster. Or, if you travel in Mexico, lots of low cost reupholstering options down there.
J-Rooster
Explorer
Nov 25, 2016
seskins wrote:
We have a Class A 2011 Fleetwood Bounder. We purchased RV in 2013 and at that time the furniture was fine. There was some cracking and peeling of the leather in the drivers chair and back of the couch in 2015. This year all of the furniture has excessive cracking and peeling of the Ultra Leather.

I contracted Lazydays upholstery department and they indicated that they have seen this problem before because of defective leather being used by the manufacturer of the furniture. I sent pictures to them and they sent me the quote of $2000 to reupholster the driver and passenger chairs and couch. They recommended I buy a new recliner because it would be cheaper than reupholstering it.

I contacted Fleetwood and they declined to do anything about this problem because it was to far out of warranty.

Has anyone else had this problem and, if so, what was the outcome?
Even though it's past warranty and no fault on your part Fleetwood should stand behind there product! This is poor customer service! When I owned a Fleetwood I had a problem with my couch (it was not leather) and they fixed it. What Fleetwood is doing to you could make the difference of getting a return customer!

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Defective Ultra Leather on Flexsteel Furniture

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