Winnebago Adventurer Roof issues

Hi there! I'm hoping somebody out there has some insight for us on this topic:
We have a 2005 Winnebago Adventurer 38J
Over this past weekend (a very windy weekend, I might add!), we were traveling south on I-29. As a semi went by us (we were only traveling around 50 mph due to wind and visibility), we heard a noise. I told my husband that I thought he had blew a tire, as it was a sound I hadn't heard before. When he went to pull off at the exit, we heard an awful sound from above (like somebody wobbling a piece of sheet metal). When we got out of the MH to look, the tires were all fine, however, the roof wasn't. The roof had came out of the seam from above the driver door to behind the front slide out. I called our insurance company, who told us to secure it as much as we possibly could, and continue to drive it.
We used tape (all we had available) and drove it to the nearest campground. I spoke with the insurance company again on Saturday. Of course, no adjuster available, so was told to try to drive it home, and yes, they would still cover the damage if we drove it home. As we headed north on a back highway, the wind was once again terrible from the west, once again hitting us on the driver side. This time, it got under the tape, picked up the roof and tore it. Once again, I climbed up and taped it down as best I could... we turned around and went south and dropped the MH at our sons place, because there was no way we could get it home without even more damage.
Now, our insurance company today tells me that this is a common issue with Winnebago Adventurer roofs, and that they may not cover it.
Has anybody else run in to this problem? Is this a common Winnebago Adventurer problem? I did call one Winnebago dealer service shop that said that they are unaware of this being a common problem.
I would like any information anyone could help me with to argue with the insurance company about coverage on this.
Unfortunate timing, as I am changing insurance companies to the Good Sam Insurance as of October 4th. However, that doesn't change the fact that this occurred while under this insurance company.
Thanks for any information!!

Class A

Effy
Explorer II
Sep 26, 2016
Seen quite a few posts lately about Winnebago roofs peeling back. Apparently it's considered a maintenance issue as it's the caulk that holds the roof in the seam.
pslocum
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
I would work with Winnebago dealer they can deal with insurance co. Just wondering so that I never use them who is the insurer? They have to cover it they wrote the policy knowing what you had and the rates are based on that. Winnebago has a good roof system now, not sure about 2005. Best of luck
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Sep 26, 2016
I've seen this mentioned quite often. You might check in on a Winnebago owner's forum for some talk about it.

Isn't Winnebago the one that has the 'drop on its roof' test in the factory?
Bruce_Brown
Moderator
Sep 26, 2016
Sadly, your insurance company is right. A few years back I had a post of example after example after example - I am now unable to find it, but do an internet search, they are more than too many examples.

Sadly, to some degree Winnie still uses this roof design - and they continue to have issues, as noted in this recall letter found here.

I have no idea of how you could fix this issue either. I was suspect, depending on how bad it may be, your MH will either be headed back to the factory or possibly even be considered a total loss - all because of a poor roof design. Yet sadly again, it will be considered your fault as Winnie says you must check and seal your roof every 6 months. I have personally worked on an Adventurer resealing the roof, if it were mine I'd do a solid Eternabond seal, which is what we ended up doing in the long run.
Stormy_Eyes
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
I bought an Itasca suncruiser 2005 this year; despite the nameplate difference it is similar to adventurer. The following applies to may Winnebago products, not just adventurer. On forums like this, I learned that the caulk seam between the roof cove and sidewalk is critical. It needs careful inspection every six months, not just looking at the caulk, but pushing on the fiberglass to see if it separates. If that caulk joint fails, the roof can come out of the channel and can come off...sounds like what happened to you.

Unfortunately, when the caulk failed, it is considered a mantenance issue. As such it may not be covered by insurance. had you been told on the first call that it was a manta fe issue unlikely to be covered, you'd have stopped driving it if at all possible. Instead you were led to believe you'd be covered. So, it seems like the insurance company misadviced and worsened the situation greatly. I hope they pay up on that basis. Good luck.
Mile_High
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
Just inspected ours and caulked about 30 percent of it (Dark paint areas exposed to sun).

This is my first fiberglass roof and I love it and I wouldn't wish a rubber roof on anyone, but I am disappointed Winnie still uses this method for securing the edges of the roof. I see other manufacturers use a "J" form on the edge to allow the trim to lock the edge down.

Your story is a little sad, because from your description it sounds like you may have been able to save the roof after the first event, and they encouraged you to move on, only to have the carpet pulled out from under you. I would be hopping mad.
mike_brez
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
I bet it looked something like this
fenwickfam
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
it looked exactly like that on Friday evening. Looks much worse now.. ripped from the front drivers side corner to the antenna and a couple of holes in the center (not sure how those even got there!.. guessing where the ripped fiberglass might have hit it?)
fenwickfam
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
You are correct Mile High... if we would have been told they might not cover it, we would never have attempted to get it home. Most likely, we would have taken it to my son to help fix, or to a close by repair shop. Neither one of those routes would have taken us north, which is what caused the majority of the destruction. I am so beyond upset about this. Surely there is some kind of action we can take.
Stormy_Eyes
Explorer
Sep 26, 2016
fenwickfam wrote:
You are correct Mile High... if we would have been told they might not cover it, we would never have attempted to get it home. Most likely, we would have taken it to my son to help fix, or to a close by repair shop. Neither one of those routes would have taken us north, which is what caused the majority of the destruction. I am so beyond upset about this. Surely there is some kind of action we can take.
this is so sad. If the company had hinted at a maintence issue or possible non-coverage, you would have behaved differently and the roof would not have been so badly damaged. In your shoes, I'd keep documentation foreverything that has happened so far. I Suppose you must hear the insurance company's decision. If they decline to cover, appeal. You might also talk to your state's insurance commissioner's office; they might be able to help or advise.