I own a 2014 palamino columbus 5th wheel camper. There is a small crack in the front corner of the bedroom slide out. The columbus facebook page is full of complaints about this particular problem. Forest river has fixed some units under warranty and they admit that there is a structural problem with the frames of the campers. Lippert is the manufacturer of the frame and it has poor weld and poor structural supports. There are literally thousand of these units out there that need fixing. I haven't heard of any breaking in half traveling down the road but, one would think if the structure got weak enough it might collapse going down the road and cause death or serious injuries. Please visit https://m.facebook.com/groups/columbusrvgroup/?soft=search thank you.
The worst 2014 Palomino Columbus problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes15
- Wheels5
- Body2
- Tires1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes15
- Wheels5
- Body2
- Tires1
Recalls 2
Equipment
- What is wrong
- Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 FR3 motorhomes manufactured September 24, 2014, to May 12, 2016; 2015-2017 Prime Time Spartan toyhaulers manufactured June 10, 2014, to May 31, 2016; 2013-2016 Palomino Columbus toyhaulers manufactured October 4, 2012, to December 4, 2015; and 2015-2016 XLR Thunderbolt and Nitro toyhaulers manufactured May 23, 2014, to November 23, 2016. These vehicles were equipped with certain aluminum, black, ladders manufactured by Christianson Industries. The affected ladders have retractable hinges, each with a welded 'top hat' that can separate from the hinge.
- Risk
- If the hinges separate from the ladder while in use, the ladder may fall from the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a remedy kit to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on January 3, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1‑574‑206‑7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-11102016-0271.
Recall number 16V828000 · Recall details
Equipment
- What is wrong
- Forest River is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Forest River models Blue Ridge, Cardinal, Cherokee, Columbus, EVO, Georgetown, Flagstaff, Forester, Lexington, Puma, Rockwood, Sabre, Salem, Sandpiper, Sandstorm, Sierra, Stealth, Sunseeker, Wildcat, Wildwood, Work and Play and XLR; Coachmen models Brookstone, Catalina, Chaparral, Concord, Encounter, Freedom Express, Freelander, Leprechaun, Mirada, Pursuit, and Sportcoach; Prime Time models Avenger, Crusader, Lacrosse, Saniber, and Tracer; Palomino model Maverick Truck Camper; Cargo Mate model Eliminator and Shasta models Revere, Phoenix recreational vehicles manufactured from February 13, 2013, through April 18, 2013. Due to a design change in the power awning motor assembly, the motor assembly screws may unknowingly shear.
- Risk
- If the motor assembly screws shear, it is possible that the awning can unfurl unexpectedly, either while the vehicle is at rest or while in transit, increasing the risk of personal injury or a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Forest River will notify owners and Dometic staff will replace the affected motors with motors of a different design. The safety recall began on July 29, 2013. Owners may contact Forest River at 1‑574‑389‑4600 or Dometic at 1‑888‑447‑0003 for more information. Owners are being instructed not to drive their vehicle until repairs can be performed.
Recall number 13V203000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 2014 Palomino Columbus
Defect 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 2014 Palomino Columbus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact stated that while towing a 2014 palomino columbus on a 2012 ram 2500. The vehicle was being towed at unknown speeds, the spare tire carrier detached from the recreational vehicle without warning. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
On july 10, 2014 my wife and I bought a columbus 340 rk fifth wheel made by forest river. Upon delivery august 14th 2014 we noticed immediate defects and called rv wholesalers to notify of the issues. Since we had a tripped planned with the 5th wheel to drive through the rocky mountains my wife and I stated we would take it in for repairs after the trip. During our trip I noticed that the brakes felt like they were not working properly and notified the dealership of the issue. We agreed on a repair shop where I delivered the 5th wheel (sept 14, 2014) and gave a list of defects to the repair shop and rv dealer. Brakes were number 1 concern. The repair shop called me and stated the wiring harness to the brakes were never wired and complete (pictures were sent) also, issue 2 the backing plates for the brakes were installed incorrectly. In a nut shell my 13,800 pound trailer had no brakes! Currently in a lemon law suit against forest river and need my governments help. Rv still at shop with zero work done to it. Sitting since sept 2014.
The studs snap off and the wheel and tire are no longer secured to the hub. The wheel may separate from the trailer causing it to be a projectile on the highway increasing the risk of a crash.
Brakes were suspect, weak, inconsistent action. Took to dealer for repack and inspect brakes. Discovered all 4 seals failed and all four brake assemblies were covered in grease. Dealer contacted manufacture of brake assembly, lippert components, inc., and they replaced brakes under warranty.
Note - axel info is: front axel serial# 045-002512768, rear axel serial# 045-002512757, nv# 284479, dom is 1-16-14. Purchased trailer new with first use in april 2014. Over next few months trailer would not stop as easily and quickly as it did when we first started using it. The continued reduction in braking ability over time required that I continue to increase the brake controller settings until I reached the highest setting of 10. We did not feel safe while pulling this trailer. Although we did not have an accident I asked our dealer to inspect. When they did they found that 3 wheels had blown seals and entire brake system was covered in grease, the 4th wheel also had a blown seal but although it was compromised it was not as bad as the others. Lippert mfg sent a mechanic to the dealer and replaced all four with new drum/brake assemblies. I asked the lippert mechanic what corrections have been made to the new brake assemblies and he stated they are using new seals. Trailer is now in winter storage so it will be next spring before we can use then inspect after some limited use to determine if we have problems with the new parts.
Took trailer to shop because brakes were sluggish and not working well. Dealer discovered all seals blown and brakes covered in oil. Line for brakes on front axle pinched, therefore no braking action on front axle. Had to have all four brake units replaced and brake line to front axle repaired. Mechanic stated that grease in axles was not proper grade, to thin. Lippert and columbus put my family and myself in a dangerous situation. Thank god no one was hurt.
Unit returned to dealer for inspection after receiving notification of important safety information from the brake manufacturer (lippert components). Dealer inspected and found grease in three of the four brake units. Dealer notified forrest river and lippert, both seem to be pointing to the other for the repair costs. This rig is 17 months old and has been at the dealership for warranty work for 7 months out those 17 months. The rig has less than 10,000 miles of road travel on it. This is a severe safety hazard given the weight of the vehicle. Several posts have been made on various forums and many owners are having similar issues.
Brakes failed to provide adequate braking since 5th wheel trailer was new. I complained to collier rv of rockford of poor braking ability and asked them to inspect brakes which they said they did. This august 2014 while at the forest river owners rally in goeshen, indiana I took advantage of lippert's rally price on forward adjusting brakes to be installed because I was never satisfied with the 5th wheel brakes. When the lippert tech. Came to install new forward adjusting brakes he found all 4 seals blown and 3 out of the 4 brakes were coated with grease. One wheel had a bad bearing also. I have pictures showing the brakes covered in grease. At the august 2014 rally, I only had 1350 miles on my 14 month old columbus 5th wheel.
When I purchased my fifth wheel, the wheel bearing on the front right side axle had no bearing seal cap. Grease had been flown to brake shoes and drum. Lippert does not want to cover the damages or repairs. I had to replace the brake shoes and bearings.
Compare the 2014 Palomino Columbus
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Questions about the 2014 Palomino Columbus
Is the 2014 Palomino Columbus reliable?
Owners have filed 18 complaints about the 2014 Palomino Columbus, 9.0 times a typical Columbus model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2014 Palomino Columbus?
Brakes, with 15 complaints, typically around 2,000 miles. Next is wheels (5).
How many recalls does the 2014 Palomino Columbus have?
2 recalls, covering equipment.
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).
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