68-0700 – Entry Door May Open While Moving – 2018-2019 Forest River FR3 & Georgetown Recreational Vehicles

April 12, 2018 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V234000

Entry Door May Open While Moving

If the entry door opens unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of injury.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V234

Manufacturer Forest River, Inc.

Components STRUCTURE, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Potential Number of Units Affected 597

 

Summary

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Forest River FR3 and Georgetown recreational vehicles. The entry door latch may not engage fully, allowing the door to open unexpectedly while moving.

 

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners and dealers will install shims between the entry door frame and the wall frame, two additional screws will be added through the entry door frame to secure the door frame to the sidewall frame and will verify that the entry door latch pawl is properly contacting the striker bolt, if required the dealer will adjust the striker bolt, at no charge to the owner. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River’s number for this recall is 68-0700.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

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Forest River, Inc.

Dexter Door Recall Remedy Procedure

Recall 18V234

Kit Includes: Screws  4 – 4” Deadbolt Hole Cup Shims 2 – 1/2” 3 – 1/8” 3 – 1/16” Template Instructions Extra Striker Washer  1 – 5/16”

 

Step 1: Identify the problem

Make sure this applies to your motorhome. This recall only applies to the Dexter Door.

• These are the components of the Dexter Door.

If your door does not have these components, then your unit is not part of this recall.

 

Step 2: Remove the interior trim at the latch

If your unit has plastic trim, pop the screw covers and remove the screws.

If your unit has wood trim, you will also have screw covers to remove but they are wood.  Pop those off and remove the screws.  Be careful not to scratch your trim.

You may need to remove the screws from the door rail at the top.

 

Step 3:

Clear the space between the door frame and the sidewall frame.  There needs to be a flat surface on the sidewall frame for the shims to rest against. Leave the original door block in place, particularly if it is against the sidewall frame.

 

Step 4: Apply the template to the door frame and drill the holes.

Drill the holes indicated on the template.  Drill only through the aluminum door frame. (The template is on the last page of this document if printed on 8 ½ x 11 sized paper)  Use a 3/16” bit. (Not the size of the circles!!)

If the Fed Tag (Yellow Sticker) is low enough that the holes would go through the Fed Tag, the holes can be moved down slightly to accommodate it.

 

Step 5 Replace the deadbolt hole plug

• Some plugs have a screw inside them. Remove the screw if it’s there.
• Remove the plug and discard
• Replace with the supplied plug. (Be careful on installation, they are more delicate than the one being replaced.  It has a narrower lip.  It may be necessary to taper the back side of the plug to get it started in the opening.  A piece of sandpaper helps this process

 

Step 6: Fit the shims

The purpose of the shims(fig 1)is to fill the gap between the door frame and the sidewall frame.  They provide a solid support for the door frame.

Make sure you stack enough shims to fill the gap but not so many that it deforms the frame.

If your door has a rolled frame (fig 2), fit the space at the back of the opening between the door frame and sidewall frame. The screws should draw the frame back to the perpendicular position (Fig 3).

 

Step 7: Install the shims and install the screws

The shims should be placed so that the lip of the shim rests just above the deadbolt hole plug. (Fig 4)

 

Install the screws straight into the sidewall frame. The screws should penetrate into the wood backer behind the aluminum sidewall skeleton. (Fig 5)

 

Step 8: Verify that the latch pawl is properly contacting the striker bolt.

You should be able to see the latch pawl on the inside of the door when the door is closed. There should be a slight gap between the pawl and the head of the striker bolt. Another way to tell if there is clearance is to measure the gap between the door and the frame. There should be 1/8” to 5/32” of gap. Much more than that, the pawl will contact the head of the bolt. If this is the case, it may be necessary to use the washer provided in the kit under the washer of the striker. Use this washer ONLY if necessary.

 

Removing screws from the door frame or replacing the door entirely is a last resort item. We are trying to adjust the door without having to remove it from the opening. If you are unable to properly pass this stage, contact Forest River Georgetown Service at 574-206-7600 for further instructions.

 

Step 9: Adjust the door.

The idea is to adjust the striker to allow the latch to reach the second stage position. The second stage position is when the door is completely closed.

Initially check to see if the door will close properly. Close the door very carefully. The door striker should align with the center of the latch (Fig 6). If the striker obviously does not align to the latch, then go to Step 10 to adjust the striker. Adjust accordingly.

If the striker aligns well, close the door to the first stage. If the latch does not click into position, go to Step 10 to adjust the striker.

If it clicks in place and holds securely, push the door to the second stage.

If it does not click into place relatively easy, go to Step 10 to adjust the striker.

If it clicks into place with reasonable force, pull on the door or push from the inside to check that the door is securely closed.

Activate the dead bolt to make sure it engages properly. Activate the latch to see if the dead bolt holds securely.
If everything is working properly, Go on to Step 11 to test the door.

 

Step 10: Adjust the striker.

Use a 5/16” hex key to loosen and tighten the striker bolt. Move the striker up or down to align with the center of the latch on the door. Move the striker in or out to find the optimum position where the latch can reach the second stage and the door seals well. Typically this adjustment is to move the striker outboard. After adjustment, return to Step 9.

When the striker is finally adjusted to the optimal position, torque the bolt up to 33 ft-lbs.

 

Step 11: Test the door latch.

Shut the door easy at first. It should easily make it to the first stage position. Make sure it is secure in the first stage. (Fig 7)

Next, shut the door with normal force. It should shut to the second stage position. Repeat to find the amount of force required to shut the door to the second stage. (Fig 8)

It should be approximately 10-12 lbs of force to shut the door properly. If you have to slam the door to reach the second stage, the striker needs to be adjusted outward to allow the latch to grab and still hold the seal around the door.

With the latch at the second stage, it should allow the dead bolt to be set to the lock position. (Fig 9) Activate the deadbolt to make sure it engages properly.

Open and shut the door in a normal manner at least 10 times to verify that the door latch is working properly.
Inspect around the latch and striker to verify that all connections are secure.

 

 

Step 12: Replace the trim around the door.

After you verify that the door latch is working as specified, place the trim back in it’s original location. Replace the screws, but do not over tighten. Replace the screw covers. Clean up the work area.

 

Step 13: Final check

Once the trim and all covers are back in place, repeat opening and closing the door 3 more times and verify that door is sealed all the way around. Verify that it closes in a normal manner and holds securely in the second stage position.

If you are unable to get to this stage with good results, call 574-206-7600 for more help.

 

Template for drilling top holes

 

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4 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
FOREST RIVER	FR3	2018-2019
FOREST RIVER	GEORGETOWN	2018-2019

 

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7 Associated Documents

Recall 573 Report- Amendment 1

RCLRPT-18V234-1180.PDF 216.007KB

 

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-18V234-5286.pdf 215.775KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-18V234-2922.pdf 245.959KB

 

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-18V234-2414.pdf 731.439KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2019-1

RCLQRT-18V234-4229.PDF 211.428KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2018-3

RCLQRT-18V234-8192.PDF 214.607KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2018-4

RCLQRT-18V234-4045.PDF 211.322KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

For the Latest and Most Recent Recalls Information Visit the link below…

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=18V234&docType=RCL

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