CONSUMER COMPLAINT SAFETY RECALL1999 SUNDOWNER STOCK FRAME COMPLAINTS COMPLAINT NUMBER: 10258279 INCIDENT DATE: FEBRUARY 9, 2009 DATE ADDED TO FILE: FEBRUARY 10, 2009 DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPLAINT: POWDER COATING IMPROPERLY APPLIED FOR SUNDOWNER HORSE TRAILERS, 1999 AND FORWARD. VEHICLE INVOLVED: 1999 SUNDOWNER VALULITE 3-HORSE TRAILER. THE TRAILER FRAME HAS EXCESSIVE CORROSION AS THE RESULT OF WATER TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE POWDER COAT. BY THE TIME THE RUST SHOWS, THE FRAME HAS CORRODED TO A POINT OF NO LONGER BEING STRUCTURALLY SOUND. MEATLLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE FRAME AND POWDER COAT SHOW IMPROPER BONDING AS WELL AS POROUS POWDER COATING, ALLOWING WATER TO REACH THE STEEL SUBSTRATE. IN THIS CASE, THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED PRIOR TO DEATH OR INJURY, BEING THE OWNER IS A MATERIALS SCIENTIST. HE WAS ABLE TO RECOGNIZE EXCESSIVE DEGRADATION OF THE FRAME, EVEN IN A WELL MAINTAINED TRAILER PARKED FOR 6 MONTHS. HE HAS TRACKED FRAME THICKNESS (CORROSION RATE) AS WELL AS DOING SEM ANALYSIS OF POWDER COAT AND SPALLING FROM FRAME RAILS. MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDATION IS TO SAND BLAST AND REPAINT FRAME. THIS FURTHER COMPROMISES STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AS IT THINS THE WEBBING FURTHER, REDUCING LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY. AT THE SAME TIME, IT DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY DEEPER PITTING OR INTRAGRANULAR CORROSION IF NOT DONE PROPERLY (E.G. PER ASTM STANDARDS). THE MANUFACTURER SUGGEST CONTACTING NHTSA IF THE BUYER FEELS THAT A DEFECT CONSTITUTES A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL THAT THIS STRUCTUR
1999 Sundowner Valuesport
Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the trailer hitches. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Frame and Members | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 SUNDOWNER. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED A SAFETY RECALL FOR HER REFRIGERATOR. ON JUNE 16, 2008, SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE BOILER TUBE WAS NO LONGER BEING REPLACED. THE DEALER IS ONLY INSTALLING A SBH SAFETY KIT. SHE WOULD LIKE HER DOMETIC REPAIRED ACCORDING TO THE REMEDY STATED IN THE RECALL. THE VIN, RECALL NUMBER, AND MODEL NUMBER WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE IS A FIFTH WHEEL AND DOES NOT KEEP MILEAGE.
LOADING RAMP FELL OFF OF THE TRAILER DUE TO NOT ENOUGH WELDS ON THE HINGES WHICH BROKE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Other Sundowner models
All Sundowner models →Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.