Community Forums

High Road Travelers · 01-23-2020, 07:33 PM

The entry door on our 2018 Open Road 32SA has always been difficult to latch. We have to slam it very hard to get it to catch solidly. It will catch easily by just pushing or pulling it shut, but is not fully and securely latched. I'm not talking about being locked, but just latched shut.
It has always done this and I have tried to adjust it, but that does not help. We also took it to Red Bay and the service tech said they were just hard to latch and that was OK.
I don't like to slam the door to get it to latch fully and securely, because it's loud to do that. Unless we are getting on the road, I usually just shut it normally and let it just loosely latch. It is just not right and annoys me.
Does anyone else have this problem on an Open Road?
Thanks for any feedback,

Peter M · 01-24-2020, 04:46 AM

I don't have this problem, does your door seal evenly when closed? Observe from outside.

Mike8253 · 01-24-2020, 06:58 AM

The Open Road can have door issues. I may be mistaken, but it seems to me when looking at later model Open Roads that the door is now different. Don't hold me to that, but it felt and seemingly closed different. Regardless, keep excellent documentation of service records and any communications you have regarding the door. At a minimum you should be entitled to some consideration for extended warranty consideration if your issues were reported and worked within the warranty period and are still not rectified. Especially if you are paying out of pocket for issues never resolved. And if normal channels no longer help and you continue to have issues, that documentation will be necessary for a letter to Tiffin if you feel you need to take that route.

Winger22 · 01-24-2020, 07:10 AM

I have a Open Road Red and the door latch is adjustable. Go to the manufacturer's website.
Lloyd

CWP3 · 01-24-2020, 07:13 AM

We have a 2017 Thor Outlaw 38RE and the door is difficult to close and open. have to slam it to shut it. Have to push on the frame to open it. PITA...

**Lt Dan** · 01-24-2020, 07:31 AM

Call Tiffin and see if yours is affected but there is a recall on some of the 2018 models due to the doors not latching. They started installing an adjustable latch to alleviate the problem and they should provide you with a replacement. Our 2017 was doing the same thing and I had to adjust the rubber bumper stops on the door to get it to close properly.

garykk · 01-24-2020, 11:10 AM

There were several problems with the PTL doors. First they replaced the rubber bumpers on the screen door with shorter ones. Then on some the latching mechanism had to adjusted. The first day we had our bus, on the way home the door opened a few times. I repaired the bumpers and still had a problem shutting the door, had to slam it and it was hard to open. Next I adjusted the cam inside the door latch by a notch. Problem solved, door opens and closes easily and it stays shut. A search here should get you the instructions on how to adjust the latch if you have the adjustable latch.

Reacher · 01-24-2020, 11:38 AM

First remove the inside door trim. Then you will have access to the latch adjustment mechanism. Mine had 2 machine screws that moved the striker bolt in or out. Some models may have a star like came that can be rotated adjusting the bolt in or out. If you google your latch model with the word "adjustment" you should find more detailed information. Slamming the door will eventually do some damage.

Auggie Dog · 01-26-2020, 01:43 PM

Before my Alegro Bus I had a Monaco Windsor with a similar issue. It was so bad that almost everybody complained. I found these instructions and was able to make the adjustments myself.

Adjusting entrance door.pdf

High Road Travelers · 02-22-2020, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt Dan

Call Tiffin and see if yours is affected but there is a recall on some of the 2018 models due to the doors not latching. They started installing an adjustable latch to alleviate the problem and they should provide you with a replacement. Our 2017 was doing the same thing and I had to adjust the rubber bumper stops on the door to get it to close properly.

An update from my original post:
I finally fixed the door so it shuts properly now. I took the rubber bumper stops off and cut them shorter (they were hitting the frame of the screen door). Also, I had to take the plastic catch off the door that hooks on to the screen door latch handle, and cut it shorter. (it was hitting the frame of the screen door so that the main door could not shut unless slammed).
Now I feel much better.
Thanks,

HighDesert · 02-23-2020, 10:04 AM

We went through the same thing on our 2019 32SA. When we first got it, you really had to slam the door and told the dealer that this was not right, as we were doing a redelivery walk through. Some adjusting went on - didn't really fix it. After 3 trips back to the dealer for door fix, under warranty, it sort of works now, Instead of slamming the door shut, you now close it "firmly". When I poked at the service group about getting this totally corrected, I was told that if they could not resolve it there, it could be fixed in Red Bay. And I said right, I'm going to drive from Oregon to Alabama to fix a door latch issue?? If this comes up again, I have a local RV repair shop that can fix this in a heartbeat as my warranty goes out this April. It can be real frustrating for a simple issues. Not berating the dealer, they are pretty good, just some things they cannot tear apart if it they have to go into the frame area.