In August we reported how Dometic, Camping World, and an RV owner were hit with a $27 million lawsuit. The case was filed against the three by an Oregon man who lost his leg when a passing motorhome’s awning opened up and mangled his leg so badly it had to be amputated. It got us wondering, just how many RVers have had RV awning disasters. We asked—and we’ve been told. We’re sharing experiences and suggestions on how to avoid a terrible mishap of your own.
RV awning disasters: This happened to me
Diana S. relates her story. “We had just picked up our new used 2018 Thor Wind Sport and were driving at 2:30 in the morning on a lonely, windy mountain road It was very dark.
“The awning opened traveling down the road. Luckily my daughter was able to pull over to the side. There we waited for four or five hours for a tow company to come and cut the awning off.”
Diana was kind enough to share a photo with us. It’s up at the top of the story, and as you can see, it was before the tow company arrived.
Dave L. says he’s been victimized by a miscreant awning, too. While heading down the road with his 2016 Bighorn, this happened. “This past spring our Dometic awning was all the way in while traveling. Yet it rolled out a few inches—enough to bend both sets of arms backward. I could not fix myself.
“The emergency RV technician said he had never seen this happen before. We had to remove it and buy another one.”
Even if you don’t wind up with a major disaster, the adrenaline rush could be more than you’d ever want to experience. Kent B. wrote us and said, “Yes ,while driving. It made a tremendous noise that could not be missed.”
What can cause an RV awning disaster?
Some RVers have been able to point the finger at the cause of their disasters. D.G. says their problem was an equipment failure. “I did have a Dometic awning unfurl while traveling down the highway, like a big parachute. It was due to a faulty locking mechanism on the end of the roller. The arm locks held, on my model, which has locks on both arms about halfway down.”
“My Dometic awning came unfurled even though the awning arms were still locked in place,” reports John W. “According to the tech that repaired the awning, there are two locks controlled by that little lever. In my case the down lock was broken. This allowed the awning to unroll.”
Sometimes “operator error,” actually gets the blame. Bill M. relates his experience, along with a confession. “Yes, my awning fell off on the way home from a NASCAR race. Luckily no injuries or much damage was done. I think we didn’t lock it in place.”
And Jerry S. relates he, too, may have had a hand in his awning disaster. “2007, Myrtle Beach, and with the awning out we drove our toad into town. While gone a very heavy wind and rainstorm just came out of nowhere. The ‘gearbox’ (with plastic gears) lost some ‘teeth’ but we got the awning to retract.
“YES, we realized you should never leave the awning out when not there. The next day while crossing a very low two-way bridge (a road just above a water inlet) winds came up again and there were white caps on the water all around us.
“Just as we left the bridge and back on land, the awning flew open. Had that happened on that bridge, it would have acted like a parachute and we would have ended up in the water. We duck taped up the awning after we got it back in place.”
Sage advice on preventing RV awning disasters
When awning arms get away, things can “go south” very quickly. Several readers commented on not relying completely on the manufacturer’s provided awning arm locks. Stacy S. was one of them. Her experience and advice?
“Our awning has never deployed while traveling on the highway. But I have heard of it happening and I saw a post about securing it just in case. I purchased two Velcro straps intended just for this purpose from Camco.
“I have a note on our awning switch inside the camper to remind me to remove the straps before opening the awning.”
We weren’t able to find RV awning safety straps from Camco, but did find a pair on Amazon from Carefree. They rate 4.5 stars from 34 reviewers. Check them out here. And bungy cords? UV light exposure just eats these guys up. We never recommend using a bungee cord for anything that needs real and long-term strength.
But here’s the thing. Sometimes the awning arms stay right where they should be, but the actual awning roller unlocks, allowing the awning to unfurl. That’s what happened to John W., as we noted above. Here’s John’s advice:
“Whenever I roll up the awning, I stop and try to unroll it. If I can’t pull it down, then it can’t unroll. If the lock is broken, it can unroll with the arms locked tightly in place.” He warns, “I have not seen anything or any way to lock the fabric so it doesn’t unroll.”
And we’ll leave you with this traumatic “could have been a lot worse” story
Bob M. relates his scary experience. “I had an awning unfurl while driving in Wyoming in 2005. The fabric created a sail, blowing back across the roof and pushing the motorhome toward the median of the interstate. I was just fortunate enough to slow and regain control enough to come to a safe stop on the right of the road.
“My wife and I took the old awning and awning rods off the motorhome and left it at a rest stop, as it wouldn’t go inside. It was a harrowing experience, and we were lucky to be driving under the posted 70 mph limit.
“These Class A units are not structurally sound in a way to stay together in any accident. They will and do take lives. Even though your RV may easily run 80 mph, it is a bad idea to drive fast anytime.”
Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences.
##RVT1176
Yep, 80mph in a motorhome is a bad idea.
I’ve yet to see an awning out on an RV in motion but I’ve seen hundreds out in winds they shouldn’t be. One strong gust and your day is changed. Just one strong gust….
I am good as long as the damage is limited to the awning. I want to replace the thing anyway
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Certainly we have been fortunate, given the experiences of these, to have never had an awning to open unbidden. I found the closing story especially well positioned, and consistent with articles by other RV Travel writers; slower speeds invite fewer disasters and allow more time to address those that do arise. Have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Most all of these incidents could be avoided by installing an awning lock. I’ve installed this on three of my RVs and never had an issue. It’s a spring loaded pin that locks the roller in place. https://awninglock.com/
I just use a 13’x13’ easy up canopy next to my RV . No permanent attached awning. Just one more thing not to think about. Plus it’s way bigger than many awnings. Also sets up in minutes .
A few years ago, while in the Arizona desert, near a friend of ours, they had their awning destroyed by a heavy rainstorm that created a lake in their awning. the awning company came out to replace it at the same time they were going to replace my awning with a new motorized, wind sensor awning. After replacing my friend’s first, they came down to install my new one. A half hour later, my friend’s wife came down & asked me if I could have the tech stop back at their rv when done with mine. Before they could get their new awning tied down, a microburst of wind came along & flipped the new awning up over the rv & bent the arms, destroying the new awning.