The travel trailer is unable to stop due to faulty seals leaking and getting grease on the brake hardware. I am aware of the problem with these seals due to other trailers identified with this problem. I have contacted the manufacture of the axel assembly lci (lippert) and was told that since my trailer was 2 years out of warranty nothing could be done. Also I was made aware that letters where sent out about this problem and I never received one, again I was told that since my trailer was 2 years out of warranty I would not have received one.
2013 Palomino Columbus brakes problems
14 complaints (88% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 3,000.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 88%
- typical mileage
- 3,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Palomino Columbus brakes problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Brake Surface Grease Contamination
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 8 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) alleging grease contamination on the trailer brake shoes or drums.This condition could potentially increase the towing vehicle's stopping distance and therefore increase the risk of a crash.During the investigation, ODI received 2 additional VOQs alleging the same problem.ODI sent Information Request letters to Forest River and the component supplier, Lippert Components, Inc. (LCI).In response, each provided complaint and warranty information for the subject & peer vehicles and components respectively.ODI visited multiple Recreational Vehicle (RV) dealers to survey their pre-delivery and maintenance inspections.In addition to local dealerships, ODI visited the Columbus, Forest River and LCI axle plants.ODI observed the hub assembly process at LCI and noted that the hub and bearings are assembled at a subassembly station and greased before transferring them to the main line for assembly on the axle.This allows for grease to escape the seal before ever being assembled.If the grease is not completely removed by the employee just prior to assembly, it may remain on the braking surface. A thorough review of the available data revealed one crash.The crash was minor and although an injury was reported, ODI was not able to confirm as no police report had been generated.ODI attempted to interview both parties; however, the subject vehicle owner was the only respondent.At the time of the incident, no injuries were apparent and the police therefore did not respond.The subject vehicle owner later learned that the other party claimed an injury.ODI's review of warranty data indicated that most owners recognized an issue with their trailer brakes early in the life of the trailer.RVs are typically returned to the dealer for warranty work after the first month or two of ownership.Many units were corrected during this initial break in period.Others were corrected when receiving the first annual service, as is recommended in the owner's manual.Grease on the vehicle's braking surface can diminish the vehicle's brake performance.However, as this issue exists at the time the trailer is originally purchased and does not get progressively worse over time and given that the trailers have one to two years in service with no significant events as the result of brake degradation, ODI does not believe this condition presents an unreasonable risk to safety.Forest River has initiated an Owner Notification Program (ONP) and will alert each subject vehicle owner that their unit should be inspected for grease on the braking surfaces if they have not already done so. LCI claims to have improved their training and material handling practices to reduce future issues.This investigation is closed as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following complaint identification numbers: 110546092, 10560304, 10561961, 10563621, 10563591, 10564143, 10563464, 10567696, 10577479, 10587690
PE14008
What 2013 Palomino Columbus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Brakes were not stopping 5th wheel travel trailer. Pulled off brake hub and found grease on brake shoes from faulty grease seals. I am in contact with lippert components at this time, it doesn't sound like they want to help.
Both trailer axles, 6000#, were inspected and found to have grease contamination on brake shoes and hardware. This caused loss of braking action. The grease from the wheel bearings passed the seal, causing the contamination.
All axle seals leaking on 2013 columbus 320 rs...6000# axles. Approximately 6000 miles on unit that was purchased in march of 2014....this is being reported in november 2014. Grease leaked through axle seals into hub assembly, contaminating braking mechanism causing reduced to no brakes on 14,000# 5th wheel trailer. This 5th wheel is used primarily in colorado, on mountain roads. I have read numerous reports of this same problem occurring with little to no action being taken by lippert industries to issue a recall of their product.
Rv brakes failed when attempting to stop for traffic light.
Wheel seals failed allowing bearing grease to spread around all brake surfaces. All 4 brakes were effected. All effected parts are being replaced by the dealer.
I received a letter from lippert inc. Indicating that there were issues with brake components installed on my columbus 320rs fifth wheel that could lead to a failure to stop the trailer. I took it into berryland campers and had them inspected. The lippert seals used on the wheel assemblies had leaked grease, contaminating the brake pads with grease. Lippert covered pad and seal replacement under warranty.
During annual maintenance I have found all four of my brake drums to have signs of grease in them. It appears the rear seal has failed and is allowing grease to penetrate the inner brake area. I have pictures upon request. Thank you
This is a 5th wheel trailer. It is towed by a 2012 f250 with factory brake controller. The brakes on the trailer seemed to be getting weaker each time I towed it and I kept increasing the gain on the controller to compensate. However on this date as I was exiting hwy. 101 at el capitan state beach at 55 MPH there was little-to-no braking via the trailer, I had to brake hard with the truck's brakes to make a turn at the end of the off ramp. It was quite concerning. After the weekend camping we returned home cautiously and called barber rv in ventura, ca and made an appointment to have it checked out under warranty. We dropped it off at barber rv on august 26, 2013. Upon inspection barber rv found grease all over the insides of the drums and saturated brake pads, probably from faulty seals. The bakes were cleaned and new parts installed. Barber rv used aftermarket parts as they are not impressed with parts from the axle/brake manufacturer lippert components. Even though they are much better after the repairs, the brakes still don't stop like our previous 5th wheel, or like this columbus did when we first took delivery in feb. 2013. We even took it back to barber rv to verify that there weren't other issues, I also had the f250's controller checked by a ford facility. I am in communication with other columbus owners on forums and a number of them also have had this issue with grease on the brakes. Barber rv did not want to deal with lippert components on the warranty work, and since this is a forest river trailer we were ultimately reimbursed the $775 that we paid out-of-pocket for the repairs. These trailers weigh a lot and braking is important, I believe that the axle and brake capacity used is not enough, let alone when grease contaminates the brakes. Even though it has been repaired, and quality parts installed, I still don't have much confidence in the brakes. Updated 3/31/14*cn
Grease contamination on brake linings --- 7000 lbs capacity lippert axles [complaint filed by bowman (odi) after phone conversation with owner].
Questions about the 2013 Palomino Columbus brakes
Does the 2013 Palomino Columbus have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Palomino Columbus, 88% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2013 Palomino Columbus brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 3,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Palomino Columbus brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Palomino Columbus have bad brakes?
The Palomino Columbus model years with the most brakes complaints are 2014 (15 complaints) and 2013 (14 complaints).
Other 2013 Palomino Columbus problems
Suspension 3Body 1
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