It’s not fun, is it — you push the button for your slideout to extend or retract, but nothing happens? Or even worse, it gets stuck half-way! RVs these days have up to five slide-outs. The fact is, the more you have the greater chance one will malfunction.
Sometimes you can figure out how to fix the problem: Most slides can be manually extended or retracted. But even that isn’t always possible, and it’s seldom easy. If you’ve ever been packed up and ready to hit the road only to have a slideout get stuck in the “out” position, it’s best to keep the volume of your swearing down. And, here’s an even worse situation: It’s 25 degrees outside and snowing and your RV is parked on a muddy pad — and the slide gets stuck. This qualifies as one definition of nightmare!
So our question today: Have you ever had your slide (or slides) get stuck and required getting professional help to remedy the situation? If the slide is stuck out, you’ll need to find a mobile RV technician to come to you unless you want to drive down the highway with the slide extended. (Hey, we’ve seen it, as evidenced below!)
So, please answer our poll (it may take a moment to load, so stand by), and leave a comment if you have a “slideout horror story” to tell. (Oh, we can hardly wait!)
The kitchen/living slide on our 2011 RV had an issue during the pre-delivery inspection at the dealer’s. They took it back to the factory to be fixed. A few months later that same slide “dipped” at one end. We were able to get it fixed under warranty.
Roller caught gasket and caused the slideout to skewer sideways as it retracted. It did straighten out but it damaged the fiberglass base. Roller/gaskets were replaced under the extended warranty but the warranty company claimed no responsibility for slideout floor repair even though it was a covered part that failed and caused the damage! Over $1,000!
My slide on my 2004 Keystone fifth wheel has had the bolts break on the main front to rear shaft, which I fixed. Also it began to skip teeth when going in/out. This would have required professional repair but I found a Lippert internal technical service bulletin online that someone has shared. Having a well equipped home shop, I was able to fab up the repair parts and fixed it myself.
Never had a slide out. I keep it simple.
No professional repairs but we have had to build a support for the motor that fell out of the wall (thankful for the people who post creative ideas to deal with problems – the only way I was able to come up with any design at all) and have had to replace sheared off bolts (finding what was busted was difficult but easy to fix once found)
Our welds broke, luckily we were staying at a friends house who was a welder.
Have had troubles but always fixed them myself.
Two gear box failures last year . Cable type. Now I’m an expert. If I can’t fix it I won’t own it.
Our 2012 Keystone Alpine was brand new when we drove from Oregon to Arizona for the winter. We noticed the bedroom slide inched out several inches. We’d pull over and put it back in. It eventually affected all 4 slides. We had several reputable Keystone recommended shops try to fix it. After this continued for 18 months Keystone sent a rep from Lippert out and took it to their factory in Pendleton, OR. We were never told what was wrong but they fixed the problem.
On our previous 5 th wheels we had no problems with their slide outs, but our present truck camper with a single slide had a problem. On our trip across the upper states and on to Vancouver Island our single slide T/C would start to extend as we drove down the roadway. I stopped and purchased a piece of 1×6 pine lumber and cut to length 2 pieces to install internally to stop the slide from extending. For 3 weeks we travelled til we made it back to Ontario and tried to get help from dealers along the way to no avail. Once home I got ahold of Lippert’s tech and was informed that a dealer could adjust the brake assy. But there was no brake assy on our unit. Was told that the whole transmission had to be changed. I took it upon myself to get a unit sent to me and ended up replacing the brake on the drive motor and has since had no problems. What started out to be a couple of thousand dollars ended costing just over $380 and about six hours of my time .
I’m real glad that there was a “See Results”, because that was the only reason I opened the survey.
On our 38ft 5th wheel the kitchen/entertainment 18 ft slideout has a residential fridge in the center of it. One of the brackets that holds the bottom roller under the fridge broke (unknown when) and caused a mark in the vinyl floor. Brought it to a pro repair shop and had them install two rollers under the fridge. Newer models now have the fridge at the end of the slideout instead of the center.
In our ’04 Southwind the motor on the bedroom slide failed in the out position in Fort Stockton Walmart. Mobile tech was .5 mile away, showed me how to crank the slide in (under the bed floor). got to Las Cruces where dealer ordered the parts and got us fixed up in 24 hours. On our current ’12 Tiffin Phaeton, the hydraulic bedroom slide out failed when preparing to get underway. Local mobile tech showed me how to jump the solenoid to get the hydraulics to work. Traveled that way for a month or more before I got to a place where we could replace the solenoid. I totally seek mobile techs whenever I have a “simple’ failure that doesn’t require a fully equipped shop.
My cable driven slide out ACTUALLY partially fell out of my KEYSTONE 014-396FWS 5″er. while pulling it in… Somehow the cable system failed, lucky for me there was some VERY helpful folks around to help shove it back into the opening….I have had trouble with the slides of one kind or other… I will Never buy a KEYSTONE product again… In fact I have a BIG Window on the back that I use to tell travelers that KEYSTONE RV SUCKS….
several times on our present MH, never on the one we traded in.
2007 Itasca Meridian, sides would not go out and we could not level. We were in Alaska at the time. Headed back to the lower 48 and stopped in Forest City, IA at Winnebago, it was going to be $1100 and it would take a week to get the part. Decided to head back to KY (homebase) just happened to notice the big HMH sign as we passed Moscow, IA went in there, they gave us a place to park and fixed it the next day for $156. I sent the whole shop cookies when we got back home. HMH makes that part. Excellent service.
THOR Challenger 37 GT… badly installed electric motor… wires were pinched and shorting out… at a Walmart… just enough current with 3 people pushing and 1 person holding the retract switch to get it back in… luckily did not need that slide to work to finish getting to Florida… over $300 to repair… because of frayed wires on harness… had to replace complete motor… just another example of no quality control at THOR…
We don’t have any slide outs on our class A…… and the following comments are the reason. We can’t miss what we never had!
Literally bought a B+ model that DOES NOT HAVE SLIDE OUTS. Saw too many videos online of slide-out issues when researching buying my first rig. Also as a single older female, I like that I can make a quick pickup and get away if needed.
I have, on 2 occasions, been forced to replace the 25 amp breaker. Mechanic said to always use shore power instead of battery power. Problem solved, until something else goes wrong. They need better engineering, too many problems.
Mine was a worm
gear drjve and somehow a bolt that joined the shaft to drive the forward track broke. All by itself, not while it was being driven. Came to put room in and it wanted to go in crooked.Getting it synced to each other was the worst part. Used a soft bolt that i had and all was good. Still good after 12 years
Absolutely have. On a trip out west, our slide out motor sheared off over the huge potholes in Indiana, and when we got to our campground the slide wouldn’t work. They had a mechanic on site who went beneath the slide area and saw the motor laying there. He attempted to repair it but didn’t have the parts and it was going to take too long for a new one to come in, so we drove all the way back to the East Coast with multiple two by fours holding the slide in. I checked it constantly as we traveled And luckily our class c motorhome I was big enough that we didn’t even need the slide extended to have enough living space for the family. Always an adventure!
Kitchen slide in our 2019 Jayco 5th wheel quit functioning within the first year of full time travel. Service tech initially said control board was bad and should be replaced but another tech took a look and said it just needed a reset. Instead of a 2 month wait for a new board, it was a 2 minute fix that the tech showed us how to do if it ever occurred again.
I had a minor issue with mine. The cable system needed to be retightened. Never actually stopped working, just became a bit jumpy going in and out.
The first RV I had was a Forest River Class A. The third time I used it the bedroom slide failed to open. It was a small electric motor chain drive. Found out it had a recall and got it fixed. I looked it over and I don’t like the chain drive slides at all.
What a timely poll. On our maiden voyage last week the main slide on our rig would not extend. We have an appointment in a month (soonest available) to get it looked at.
Yes- old motorhome, Coachman Aurora was easy fix. Sheer pin would break and we carried extras. Next motorhome not so easy fix. Took six rather beefy guys to push the slide in so we could leave a state park. Took months to get fixed. Replaced two Lippert motors. Failed again. Found connector loose. Taped connection together securely with electrical tape and no problem in two years. Hold my breath every time deploying or retracting slides…..
My big Power Gear slide room is designed with shear pins in the drive system, so if something goes “West” the pins can shear and prevent further damage. Some genius mechanic before I owned the rig replaced the shear pins with #8 steel bolts. I had to find this out the hard way, and the entire motor/gearbox was destroyed in the process. I now have plenty of spare shear pins, and have modified my “process” for moving that slide, and haven’t had a problem since.
We intentionally purchased an RV that didn’t require putting the slide out for sleeping. We never use the slide for overnights, but will put it out for longer stays.
Not yet, but with a 20 year-old travel trailer, it will probably happen.
I had the bracket fail and the bulkhead torn where the slide mechanism was mounted and attached to the transmission and motor. Fortunately, I got a recommendation for an RV repair shop 20 minutes away from my winter campsite. Took a day and half.
Another good choice would be, “Not Yet.”
I answered “no” to the poll but I have adjusted/tightened guide wheels and my recommendation is lube, lube, lube.
I have 2 slides and rarely use them. The big slide is only out when I spend the winter in Quartzsite.
I had the last motorhome for 17 years and maybe had the slide out 20 times. After I sold it the new owner had trouble with the controller. He bought a new one and it failed again.
No slides, I avoid them.
2 of the 3 slides on our Adventurer are Lippert Power Gear Slim Racks. The drive blocks on both slide mechanisms broke and failed within the first 5 years requiring expensive professional repair of the Slim Rack systems. The rams on the 3rd slide (Power Gear Digisync) failed twice, the last time when the pinion gear teeth stripped off on the drive.