Carefree freestyle roof mount awning on Ford transit

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

For 2 years I and other Coachmen Crossfit owners have been unhappy with our defective FREESTYLE ROOF MOUNT awning that is mounted on our Crossfits and Beyonds. Patiently I have gone thru numerous adjustments, pitch adjustments, and 2 seperate bump stop additions. It was cutting into my vinyl and coming open slightly during transit and Michelle finally authorjzed a replacement. The new awning is sticking in the housing just likeI the old one was. I have to take a broom to unstick the housing if you can get it to extend at all. once it breaks free it works untill you move tbe rv.
Recently another facebook group member reported that their awning opened up on its own while parked. I called tech support today when it was jammed and im told to move the bumpstops or go pay someone to do it for me. This new awning is only 3 weeks old!! So now I have to force it open and move your stops to make it work ebery time i reach a destination? We thought we were getting a quality awning and all we are getting is more problems and excuses. Please ask michelle to look up my history.
sincerely. tell her its Ronda in California. (currently sitti g at the Coachmen factory in Middlebury awaiting a active solution before I continue my 6 month usa tour roadtrip.
MS. Fitz

[rowiebowie]

Stories like yours are hard to hear. Awnings have been around forever, and to have this kind of problem is dissapointing. For Carefree or Coachmen to not offer a quick solution is unforgivable.

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

I have received wonderful support from Coachmen on this issue. They personally has worked on it 4 times now to get to the root of the problem. Its a awning/bracket design flaw and since they selected Carefree to be the official awning they are left to deal with the fallout. Forest River installs alot of awnings and figured out the problem but Carefree wont welcome the change. It is not a 100% failure because there are owners that just hit it to make it work and a few who have no complaints at all. I would like to know my options for a replacement high roof mounted transit fitting awning. manual is fine. Since Carefree has washed their hands and told me to go pay someone to adjust tbe new awning Im having my bracket modified to solve it ourself. How I will NEVER deal with a company that treats its customers like this ahain. My time IS just as valuable as Theirs is. When I explained that Im currently at Forest River Factory and the Management is actively looking into this situation apparently they dont care. I let them know that I had held my tongue for 2 years. No longer.

[@Michael]

Originally Posted by Coachmen Crossfit owner

The new awning is sticking in the housing just likeI the old one was. I have to take a broom to unstick the housing if you can get it to extend at all. once it breaks free it works untill you move tbe rv.

Mine stuck like that too. Carefree support will send out a couple of plastic clips that keep the awning arms properly positioned when stowed. I popped the clips in an have not had a sticking problem since.

Attached photos are from Carefree support.

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

they added those new bump stops 2 times now. new awning stops are sliding sround inside the case. we silicone them today to try to stop their movement

[Crust E. Skidmark]

I’m having the same issues with mine. Very frustrating. The leading edge of the header sticks out from the housing case but the rear sits flush like it should. I took it the dealer to attempt to adjust but theirs techs are useless. No change.
Still having to hit the damn thing for it to extend after every time the rig is moved. Sometimes it doesn’t open at all even though I can hear the motor click. Am I’m getting tears in the fabric at the hinge locations.
I’d like to hear more about the issues you are having as well and what you have done to try and remedy like the mounting brackets. I don’t Facebook so don’t see the owners group on there so haven’t heard others having the same issues. What can I do to try and fix?

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

same here. ripping stretching starting to tear and not rolling out. After talking with several awning people they seemed to conclude that the bracket due to the overhang cannot be secured sufficiently to keep this thing from flexing while we're driving. My manufacturer that built my coach has been fighting right alongside me trying to get Carefree to resolve this issue. So far everybody's frustrated and nothing is being resolved. They worked on my awning at the factory today and they are required to stay Within Carefree specs for installation. It's like trying to work with one hand tied behind your back. Have Carefree give you a new awning you deserve it and the one you have is not repairable now. The new awning that they just gave me three weeks ago that I had installed in California before I left for my trip locked up and wouldn't retract after driving either so I don't think there's any saving this awning. Feel free to contact me at any time for any help I may offer but we need to complain to Carefree and make them address this issue once and for all.

[Crust E. Skidmark]

What exactly did Coachmen find out with the brackets that Carefree won’t correct? Maybe it’s something I can fix. Frankly I’d rather do the work myself in lieu of a tech that can’t tie his own shoe.

[GallenH]

As an interesting aside: I recently took a shuttle from Minneapolis to Rochester and we passed 2 RVs whose awnings had come off on the road. One was pulled over with the awning laying on the highway by them. With the other, two people were carrying the awning on the shoulder from where it had landed to where the RV was pulled over. A distance of about 2 city blocks. Don't know if this is common or not. Just curious that there were 2 on the same highway in a 90 mile stretch.

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

today i had them remove the front mounting screws on tbe bracket and move the screws forward as far as they could. the bracket has that unsupported overhang which is allowing too much flexing so its binding up. another awning guy said the same thing. they are working on a solution. im not mechanical but in simple terms the Carefree mounting bracket is flexing and its a problem for some.

[AC Orange]

This sounds like the same awning fitted to the Winnie Paseo. There are several members of a Paseo forum who are having the same issue with their awning not deploying. I have a Paseo that is now 2 years old and have had a deployment issue maybe 5% of the time. Luckily, when it happens, I can just reach it with a short stick and a little tap and it then works. It's always the back end area that has the sticking issue when it occurs, never at the front. Others are not so lucky. Some can't get it to deploy at all and have given up on it. Others have contacted Carefree and been sent those clips which work with varying degrees of success. I'm not surprised that a possible design issue is the fault. I can't recall anybody reporting that their unit works properly 100% of the time.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by AC Orange

This sounds like the same awning fitted to the Winnie Paseo. There are several members of a Paseo forum who are having the same issue with their awning not deploying. I have a Paseo that is now 2 years old and have had a deployment issue maybe 5% of the time. Luckily, when it happens, I can just reach it with a short stick and a little tap and it then works. It's always the back end area that has the sticking issue when it occurs, never at the front. Others are not so lucky. Some can't get it to deploy at all and have given up on it. Others have contacted Carefree and been sent those clips which work with varying degrees of success. I'm not surprised that a possible design issue is the fault. I can't recall anybody reporting that their unit works properly 100% of the time.

This should NOT happen on a 2 years old model.
Disgraceful.

It's extremely unfortunate that neither Ford, Winnebago or Carefree can't ride to the occasion and make their clients whole.

No wonder they are losing sales and credibility.

Very SAD.....

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

i have had bump stop clips added and then replaced and awning realignments and repitching and bracket adjustments and finally a new awning installed. Now Im starting all over again with the sticking and bump stops moving and repositioning and alignments and repitching and another bracket adjustments. I get a message to call Carefree AGAIN because they think they have a solution for me. Seriously how long can one company drag out this issue. 2 years and 2 awnings and still same problem.

[Crust E. Skidmark]

Really interested to find out your results from Carefree. I just came back from a 5 day camping trip and the damn awning just would not extend. Push the touchpad to extend and you can hear the motor solenoid click but motor does not operate. Doesn’t matter if on level ground, on blocks, uneven ground, etc. Just won’t extend. It’s like the van body is flexing and the mounts are causing a bind in the awning housing causing the motor to lock up. I’m not at the same level of issues that you are but not having shade really sucks especially with the dark color on the van. I have an appointment on Monday for the dealer to review but I highly doubt they will get it to work. Should I be going through Coachmen or Carefree to get this resolved? And since I don’t really trust the techs abilities at my dealer I wonder if Coachmen will allow for a different shop to try and fix.

[Britmobile]

If we decide to order a Class B van we’ll delete the awning. Save about $600 too.
Would hardly use it and don’t need the aggravation and frustration.

[Crust E. Skidmark]

Took my unit to my dealer and lo and behold the awning extended and retracted like normal for the dealer. Just my luck of course. Dealer says it’s sticking due to the heat which is BS. When I ask about the front of the lead rail sticking out of the case he says that’s normal so that pretty much sums up my opinion of the techs not knowing how to tie their own shoe. Total BS but I have to work through the warranty process.
I have looked through the manuals and there are only two maybe three adjustments that can be made; pitch, arm bracket location and in/out limits.
If the lead rail is sticking out at the front does that mean that the front arm is not correctly located?
The manual states several times that when adjusting the pitch that the lead rail must be parallel to the case. Would incorrect pitch make the lead rail stick out at the front?
The in limit screw doesn’t seem to do anything no matter if screwed in or out.
I have the sensor which is supposed to override the in limit screw and self adjusts but the manual does make mention of adjusting it. Confusing.

What other adjustments or fixes should I be doing to make sure the unit is correctly setup? Taking this to the dealer week after week for the same issue is pissing me off to no end. Love the coach but the awning is a real pisser. Ready to take it off and do a manual wall mount but the DW would flip a lid if I proposed that on a new rig.
Anyone know of a quality RV repair in Las Vegas area that does awnings?

[annarborRVer]

I have a 2018 Winnebago Paseo. The Carefree (not really carefree is it?) awning is getting stuck, motor runs, but won't extend. Initially when I banged on the end getting stuck it would dislodge and eventually extend. Now the motor runs but I have to manually tug on it with the motor running to get it to extend. Sure looks like a defective design to me, with all the problems reported on it throughout the internet.

I have some patience and a little mechanical knowledge so I will dig into it and if I can figure out what is going on, will share. I bought the camper used and don't believe there is any warranty left on it.

[mkguitar]

Hi,


no experience with that- I have a manual crank fiamma


I wonder if your motor unit can be replaced with a manual crank gear?


mike

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by annarborRVer

I have a 2018 Winnebago Paseo. The Carefree (not really carefree is it?) awning is getting stuck, motor runs, but won't extend. Initially when I banged on the end getting stuck it would dislodge and eventually extend. Now the motor runs but I have to manually tug on it with the motor running to get it to extend. Sure looks like a defective design to me, with all the problems reported on it throughout the internet.

I have some patience and a little mechanical knowledge so I will dig into it and if I can figure out what is going on, will share. I bought the camper used and don't believe there is any warranty left on it.

Welcome to the forum!

Did you go back and read from the top post? Seems this may a common problem for the Crossfit. Maybe for the Paseo model too. I'd suggest you contact Coachmen or Carefree, warranty or not.

Good luck.

[<<B-Guy>>]

Originally Posted by Britmobile

If we decide to order a Class B van we’ll delete the awning. Save about $600 too.
Would hardly use it and don’t need the aggravation and frustration.

Probably should be quite a bit more than $600 if it is an electric awning.