Thread: Brakes
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Old 06-07-2011, 10:32 AM   #4
gepaine
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Carnation, WA
Posts: 190
Our Brake Wiring Issue

Our problem was different from those described above; however, it also represents a quality deficiency on the part of Keystone.

During February 2011, my wife and I purchased a new 24-foot Keystone Cougar . On the 27th of February, 2011 we commenced a trip from Seattle to southern California. On March 3rd, 2011 near Leggett, CA the Cougar developed a problem where one or more of the brakes would sometimes lockup in response to even the slightest application of the brakes on our tow vehicle.

Note: The specific location where we encountered the problem was on our return trip from Shelter Cove, CA - coming down the very steep (at least a 10% grade) and winding mountain road! This was no place to have brake problems!

(Sometimes the brakes would work OK, but over a short period of time, they began to get worse and locked up almost every time I applied the brakes.) I could not correct the problem by adjusting my brake controller. Believing this to be an unsafe condition, I turned off the brake controller and drove very slowly to the nearest rv repair facility (101 Trailer & RV) which was about 30 miles away in Willits, CA. (There was no Keystone authorized repair facility closer, and I believed it was unsafe to drive any further.)

101 Trailer & RV determined that the problem was caused by a brake wire rubbing against the metal rim of one of the trailer’s right-side wheels. Apparently, it had been rubbing long enough for the insulation to be worn away and allow the brake wire to short out against the wheel rim. ( I have included a picture of the damaged section of brake wire.) 101 Trailer & RV cutout the damaged section of wire, spliced the two ends together, and installed a plastic sleeve over the wire to prevent this from happening again.

101 Trailer & RV charged us $40.00 for the repair. I requested to be reimbursed by Keystone for this expense, and they did provide a full refund.
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