Keystone Announces Fifth Wheel Recall of Model Year 2019-2020 Dutchmen Voltage Trailers
Keystone RV Company has announced that it is recalling 79 Dutchmen Voltage trailers, (model-year 2019-2020, model 4185) due to the possibility that the wrong fifth wheel pin box hitch was installed. An 18,000 lb.-capacity fifth wheel pin box hitch may have been installed instead of the specified 21,000 lb-capacity pin box hitch. The danger is that if a vehicle were loaded to a weight more than 18,000 pounds, the pin box could fail which increases the risk of crash.
What to do if you are part of the fifth wheel recall
Keystone will be notifying owners who will then be able to bring their fifth wheel into a dealership for free replacement of the current pin box with a pin box inner rated for 21,000 lbs. The recall is expected to begin July 19, 2019.
Owners may contact Keystone customer service at 1-866-425-4369. Please reference Keystone’s number for this recall: 19-354.
RV accidents facts and statistics
A report released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration in 2003 said that more than 70,000 people were involved in RV accidents that year. In 2012, they reported 75,000 injuries due to RV accidents.
A Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) analysis of data between 2000 and 2007 found that a total of 212 people died in RV accidents in those years. At 26 deaths per year, the rate of RV deaths has an average fatality rate of 1/3 of the average rate of all vehicles or 0.44per 100 million vehicles miles versus 1.48 for all vehicles in the US.
Common causes of RV accidents
Although some of these common causes of RV accidents are the same as common causes of car accidents, they are exacerbated in an RV where sheer size plus reduced visibility and maneuverability increase the risk factors for a crash. According to fifthwheelst.com:
- Overloading the RV with too much weight
- Runaway trailers
- Inexperienced drivers
- Senior drivers
- Speeding
- High winds
- Overtired drivers
- Rollover caused by higher center of gravity
- Poorly calculated turns
- Miscalculated stopping distances (heavy vehicles require longer stopping distances)
- Poorly balanced loads
- Failing to see another vehicle in the lane beside the RV due to a blind spot
Product liability law
Defective and dangerous products cause thousands of injuries every year. If you were involved in a motor vehicle accident caused by a defective part, contact a product liability lawyer today; they may be able to help you recover damages for your injury.
In successful product liability cases, a product manufacturer, distributor or seller is held liable for the injuries caused by the defective or dangerous product. Product liability laws vary by state but generally require that a product meet ordinary consumer expectations that a product be free of defects or dangers. When a product fails to meet this threshold, it could end up as part of a product liability lawsuit.
If you have lost a loved one or been injured through no fault of your own, you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the justice and fair compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the caring, tireless and experienced personal injury attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County and surrounding areas since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
