Jayco Redhawk 22J entry door strut fell out !!!

[Newtron]

I have a 2018 Redhawk 22J, was at a campground last week. Everything set up and was having a great time relaxing. When i opened the entry door of the motor home, it almost threw me out of balance as the door went flying open and hit the awning post. Looked up to find that the bracket that holds the door strut had come off the MH body and was dangling free. Taking a closer look found that the screws that were holding the strut bracket had sheared off!!

Managed to remove the strut with the basic tools I had, just to be safe on the highway. Had it fixed by dealer as MH is still under warranty, but worried that it may happen again. The strut is under lot of tension when fixed to the MH. Pretty sure it will tear off the new screws in short time. Any thoughts/ inputs as to how can I prevent this from occuring again?

Thanks

[drmike961]

Originally Posted by Newtron

I have a 2018 Redhawk 22J, was at a campground last week. Everything set up and was having a great time relaxing. When i opened the entry door of the motor home, it almost threw me out of balance as the door went flying open and hit the awning post. Looked up to find that the bracket that holds the door strut had come off the MH body and was dangling free. Taking a closer look found that the screws that were holding the strut bracket had sheared off!!

Managed to remove the strut with the basic tools I had, just to be safe on the highway. Had it fixed by dealer as MH is still under warranty, but worried that it may happen again. The strut is under lot of tension when fixed to the MH. Pretty sure it will tear off the new screws in short time. Any thoughts/ inputs as to how can I prevent this from occuring again?

Thanks

Mine came off as well but the screw loosened and fell off, it did not shear off.
Ever since then I attempt to slow the opening door down with my hand and not let it sling open and bounce. I am sure that there may be a better strut out there but I have not researched it. I would put the quality of this one on par with the OEM steering damper.

[JaytheDJ]

My 2018 25R has a similar issue with the door strut (mounted outside). It's attached on the MH side on the metal outer door trim but on the door side they screwed it into the fiberglass, no backing or anything. Any travel would cause the screws to back out. Needless to say that didn't last long. I took the strut off as it was causing damage to the door. Now we just use the door without it. I put some small black foam strips on the awning so if the door does swing and hit it, any damage would be minimal.
Someday perhaps I'll get around to resolving the issue permanently, either by re-installing correctly or with a new door with those fancy friction hinges...