Complaint Review: Lippert Componets INC - Goshen Indiana

I purchased a new 2009 Gulf Stream Trailmaster 380FRS Travel Trailer in May 2009 from FunTime RV in Cleburne, Texas. On August 22, 2010 while i was traveling down the freeway with my wife and grandbaby, we were returning home from camping at a local lake, I saw the right rear wheel and hub come off my travel trailer and cross the freeway behind and luckily it layed down in the center median without hitting anyone. As i pulled of the freeway to a safe area i went back and inspected my travel trailer to see what happened, i observed that the outer bearing was gone and the reminants of the inner bearing was hanging on the axle along with the spindle nut that was chewed up, there was alot of grease on the spindle and brakes shoes and springs and inside the hub, there was no grease on the outside of the backing plate, hub or inside the wheel well area of the trailer. this is consistant to a wheel bearing failure and not a seal failure. I had to call a wrecker to assist me in removing the brake backing plate and to secure the axle to prevent any further damage so that i could transport the trailer home.

On August 23, 2010 i contacted my insurance company to see if this would be covered and i also contacted Gulf Stream John Bruin to see if this would be covered under the manufactorer warranty, i was advised to take photos and to send it to him and he would contact Lippert Componets Inc the manufacter of the axle to see if it would be covered. meanwhile my insurance company advised that the adjuster after looking at the trailer had determined a wheel bearing had failed. After emailing back and forth with John Bruin and him advising that Lippert had advised him for me to take my trailer to an axle repair facility and have them call Lippert for instructions to see if they will warranty the repair, i advised them that the trailer only has one usable axle and to move this to a repair facilty would most likely damage the other axle and to have this 39 foot RV Trailer towed would be very exspensive.

On August 25, 2010 i contacted Lippert Components myself since this process was taking to long to get a straight answer, i was advised to send all of my pictures to thier warranty department and they would review it, i was corresponded by email several times this day with Dave Brice and he advised that the axle warranty is for 12 months on the axle from the date of purchase May 2009 and they require the wheel bearings to be inspected and packed every 12 months or 12000 miles. i advised him that thier axle owners manual states it has a two year warranty, i also advised him that i did check the wheel bearings at the first of the year as i do with all my trailers and this trailer only has been used 5 times since being purchased and has less that 500 total miles on it from purchase. 

I then recieved an email from  Michael Locke with Lippert Components who advised me that Gulf Stream probably gave me an outdated owners manual,since they changed thier warranty from 24 months to 12 months in 2007, he also said he viewed the photos and determined it was a seal failure. i advised him if it was a seal failure it would have grease outside the hub and inside the wheelwell area and there was non, i alo advised him that i never recieved an owners manual for the axles when i purchased the trailer and that the two year axle warranty was currently listed on thier own wesite under axle owners manual. I then recieved an email from Gulf Stream advising that Lippert contacted them and said that they would not warranty the axle because they determined it was a wheel bearing failure. I had offered for Lippert to just send me a replacement axle and i would replace it myself, they declined my request but did advise me they would sell me a new one a full retail price approx $ 600.00 plus shipping.

My Question is which is it a bearing failure or a seal failure, they are both your products and should be covered, i have also discovered that Lippert Components Inc and thier parent company provide many different parts on rv's so they next time you look to purchase an rv check to see who the manufactorer is of the axles and slideout systems is.