5th wheel frame crack

[32Pinnical]

I have a 2020 Pinnacle 32rlts and it has developed a crack in the sidewall on the drivers side at the front bottom corner of the bedroom slide. The bottom nose trim has dropped half an inch.
Found out that Jayco issued a service bulletin regarding 5th wheel frames cracking.
Has anyone had this issue out of warranty and did you get relief from Jayco or Lippert?

[BJK]

I also have a 2020 32ft Pinnacle 5th wheel . I've heard about this about a year ago and have been watching for it . Around the first of December this year (2024 ) I noticed a crack in the same place about 1.5 inches long at the lower corner of the bedroom slide on the drivers side . I can't seem to find what is causing it . Could it be the frame ? I've had so many things go wrong with this trailer it's hard to keep up . So far I've had to replace both inside tv's , fireplace . microwave . kitchen faucet , the worst part so far is the rear axle springs have broke off the frame two time now on both sides . Had one welded up last year and another this year . As a result had to replace al four tires . I haven't contacted anyone about the crack yet . What have you found that needs to be done ? I know the warranty has run out .

[bill3kirk]

This has been an issue for a while. If you search "sidewall crack" you'll find numerous threads on it. I was fortunate that I was still under warranty and both times it went to the factory where they removed part of the sidewall and repaired. The crack was from stress (they were not putting stress joints in). The second repair on mine has held up so far and I have well over 30,000 miles since it was done on the trailer. They added gussets and reinforced the sidewall framing.

I would still contact Jayco customer service.

[Frosty22]

I bought a used 2020 Eagle in June of 2022, so I'm the second owner. I discovered Cracks in the Frame on both sides located above the leaf spring hangers. I just assumed I was on the hook for the repairs as I bought it "as is".

In August of 2022 I contacted Lippert by phone to see if I could get a "weld procedure" and these prefabricated repair plates I saw on their website. The Person I spoke with informed me the frame was still under warranty even though I was the second owner and they (Lippert) would repair it. They asked for a bunch of specific photos. They also wanted me to take the Fifth wheel to their facility. I explained to them that it wasn't legal to transport a Trailer with a cracked Frame on California Roads, so they sent a Tech in a Service truck to my house. The repairs were done in September 2022.

I would talk directly to Lippert, but they're going to want pictures of the cracks.

[Edutron]

I have one as well same location about 3 inches long. Appears to be cosmetic in the fiberglass and will sand out out and repair and paint this summer. I took that trim and placed a jack underneath and installed newer screws and more screws that were longer.
Appears to be OK.

[AZDIESELPIG]

Originally Posted by Edutron

I have one as well same location about 3 inches long. Appears to be cosmetic in the fiberglass and will sand out out and repair and paint this summer. I took that trim and placed a jack underneath and installed newer screws and more screws that were longer.
Appears to be OK.

I would be extremely cautious - typically these cracks are due to frame issues.

[32Pinnical]

Have a tech check your frame! Any cracks in the sidewall are a good indicator of frame stress cracking!

[32Pinnical]

Frosty, can you advise who you talked to at Lippert,? Thanks, !

[BJK]

I had a extended warranty and they paid for both springs to be welded back on the frame . I also contacted my insurance today and they said they would also pay for the repairs to be done for the crack forward of the bed slide out . Now I have to find someone in the Mesa Az. area that does that kind of work .
BJK 2020 32" Pinnacle
2020 Denali 3500

[Frosty22]

Originally Posted by 32Pinnical

Frosty, can you advise who you talked to at Lippert,? Thanks, !

Here's a screenshot of her email.

[mkrenn]

We noticed a crack in front of the bedroom slide a few months ago. I emailed Jayco, They told me out of warranty. I talked to the service manager at a local dealership. He said to bring it in to assess. I did that and also measured the flex when hooking up to truck. Less than a half inch so I suspect the wall is coming loose from the frame up front. What a bummer. I will report back with their findings. I also joined the class action lawsuit. Not going to get my hopes up though.

[Preynolds]

We have a 2020 Jayco Eagle 317RLOK we noticed a crack in the same place after the warranty expired 2 months prior to discovering the crack. We contacted Jayco and was told.d to take it to our dealer. We took to dealer who contacted Jayco and sent in the pictures and information. Jayco denied the claim since it was out of warranty. I ended up calling Jayco numerous times and it was still denied. Dealer quoted over 10k it repair it depending on what they found after tearing into it.
Long story short but we ended up taking it to a body shop in Garland TX which is 4 hrs from us.
They repaired it and discovered that the 5th wheel wasn’t built correctly under the nose around the curve. There wasn’t enough material to screw the trim into and water had gotten inside under nose. It was actually holding water! It delaminated the sidewall and caused the crack.
Ended up going ahead and reinforcing the bedroom sidewall on the drivers side and putting in additional gussets and fixing the exterior. Looks brand new now! Fixed for under $8000.00.

Also had to get roof redone at DWF RV Roof since we had already had it replaced by them the year before due to a hailstorm.

[Chuckles57]

We have a 2015 38FLSA. it developed cracks on both side of the exterior at the lower corners of the front slides. Jayco said the cracking is caused by frame flexing and is common. I talked to several people about working on the frame and decided that would not stop the issue. We took the trailer to Jayco in Middlebury In. and I believe they cut out the crack and covered it with a moulding. On newer units they now have a stress relief at that spot to control the crack.

[paultheflyer]

Originally Posted by 32Pinnical

I have a 2020 Pinnacle 32rlts and it has developed a crack in the sidewall on the drivers side at the front bottom corner of the bedroom slide. The bottom nose trim has dropped half an inch.
Found out that Jayco issued a service bulletin regarding 5th wheel frames cracking.
Has anyone had this issue out of warranty and did you get relief from Jayco or Lippert?

I had this same problem on a 2019 377rlbh, sidewall crack bottom left corner of drivers side bedroom slide. Jayco repaired the crack under warranty to include removing the sidewall and adding stiffeners to the structure around the slide.

Last summer the crack was back and a $10000 quote from Jayco to fix. I have seen many 5th wheels with a piece of trim like channel in this exact same area and I think that will be my solution: cover it up. I called Jayco and asked about this type of fix and was told that yes this is adequate.

We'll see i guess, Paul

[MQuick]

I have a 2019 385THW. One year into owning it I got cracks on both sides. It was repaired it under warranty. I do not remember if it was my extended warranty or Jaco. Dealership took care of it. I believe they sent it to a shop in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Frame was repaired and fiberglass repaired. Came back like new. I opted to have a joint put into the narrow area of the fiberglass, where it had cracked. I have not had a problem since.

[Preynolds]

When the Bodyshop repaired ours they did the relief cut and put a piece of trim over it. No problems since. Knock on wood!

[Iowa fam]

Originally Posted by 32Pinnical

I have a 2020 Pinnacle 32rlts and it has developed a crack in the sidewall on the drivers side at the front bottom corner of the bedroom slide. The bottom nose trim has dropped half an inch.
Found out that Jayco issued a service bulletin regarding 5th wheel frames cracking.
Has anyone had this issue out of warranty and did you get relief from Jayco or Lippert?

We have a 2024 North Point 377rlbh in the shop now for similar issue. Our wall is not cracked but our slide keeps giving us issues. The wall bows out when hooked up so just a matter of time for a major accident if it gives out while on the road. Sounds like your issue is the same side and general area. Dealership “Blue Compass” has been difficult to work with as it’s been with them going on 4 months

[sign4u93]

There was recently a Facebook entry that indicated some group of people were interested in starting a class action lawsuit against Thor/Jayco regarding the cracks in Pinnacles and North Points due to lack of satisfaction with the company providing reasonable services for repair. We currently did not qualify to sign in to that group as we have not developed a crack around the front slide out, so I didn't make a note of them. You should try to find out who and where they are on Facebook.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by sign4u93

There was recently a Facebook entry that indicated some group of people were interested in starting a class action lawsuit against Thor/Jayco regarding the cracks in Pinnacles and North Points due to lack of satisfaction with the company providing reasonable services for repair. We currently did not qualify to sign in to that group as we have not developed a crack around the front slide out, so I didn't make a note of them. You should try to find out who and where they are on Facebook.

Those who joined the Class Action may not realize that Thor/Jayco, Keystone, Winnebago, Forest River, Newmar, Tiffin and multiple others have an arbitration system in place which probably needs to be used first.

https://www.demarsassociates.com/org...d-our-services

[mkrenn]

Ours is in the shop as of last Friday. Hope to hear something soon.