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Old 01-09-2025, 06:12 PM   #1
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Forest River Owners Club
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Front Shade Unrolled While Driving

2013 Forest River Georgetown 377XL
Motorized Front shade

The front windshield of this coach is like 8’ wide and 5-6’ high. Like many, there is a powered shade that raises and lowers from a switch on the dash. In December as I was driving through El Paso the shade was partially lowered to block the morning sun as I was driving East. Suddenly the shade lowered all the way down as I was traveling on I-10 about 60 mph completely blocking any forward view of the road. Seriously I’m going 60 mph looking at nothing but a huge vinyl shade. It didn't lower under power. It just unrolled rapidly under the weight of the shade material.

I was on the inside lane on top of everything else. Fortunately as I looked to the left I could see the berm of the road getting wider so I started braking and pulling coach onto the berm still not knowing if it was really clear ahead and just kept the left side of the coach as close to the guardrail as I could, watching out the right side as traffic went past me. I got it stopped, didn’t hit anything and nothing hit me. The berm, fortunately, was really wide and I was well off to the left. I just sat there for a few minutes unable to believe that it all just happened.

The shade was unresponsive to the switch on the dash but I could stand and hand roll the shade up. When I did roll the shade up by hand it just unrolled back down on its own. Gravity’s a Bitch! I secured in the up position for the rest of the trip back with spring clamps. Now that the holidays are over I've taken it apart and the wires to the motor are severed. I don’t know if that happened in the tear down or if that is the problem? I don't know if the motor would work if the wires were reconnected and don't care. I'm replacing it regardless.

One other piece of information that could matter is the programming switch was not connected. The wires are there but the switch has disappeared. I have not been able to adjust stop points on the shade. I would push down button and lower the shade to the position I wanted and it would stay there. No adjustment while the engine was on.

My question... what doesn't make sense is that the shade would be able to fail and unroll! How is that possible? it couldn't have been designed that unsafe.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a way to prevent the shade from entering a freefall?

Sorry , meant to put this in Class A forum.
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Old 01-09-2025, 07:33 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wdcooper View Post
2013 Forest River Georgetown 377XL
Motorized Front shade

The front windshield of this coach is like 8’ wide and 5-6’ high. Like many, there is a powered shade that raises and lowers from a switch on the dash. In December as I was driving through El Paso the shade was partially lowered to block the morning sun as I was driving East. Suddenly the shade lowered all the way down as I was traveling on I-10 about 60 mph completely blocking any forward view of the road. Seriously I’m going 60 mph looking at nothing but a huge vinyl shade. It didn't lower under power. It just unrolled rapidly under the weight of the shade material.

I was on the inside lane on top of everything else. Fortunately as I looked to the left I could see the berm of the road getting wider so I started braking and pulling coach onto the berm still not knowing if it was really clear ahead and just kept the left side of the coach as close to the guardrail as I could, watching out the right side as traffic went past me. I got it stopped, didn’t hit anything and nothing hit me. The berm, fortunately, was really wide and I was well off to the left. I just sat there for a few minutes unable to believe that it all just happened.

The shade was unresponsive to the switch on the dash but I could stand and hand roll the shade up. When I did roll the shade up by hand it just unrolled back down on its own. Gravity’s a Bitch! I secured in the up position for the rest of the trip back with spring clamps. Now that the holidays are over I've taken it apart and the wires to the motor are severed. I don’t know if that happened in the tear down or if that is the problem? I don't know if the motor would work if the wires were reconnected and don't care. I'm replacing it regardless.

One other piece of information that could matter is the programming switch was not connected. The wires are there but the switch has disappeared. I have not been able to adjust stop points on the shade. I would push down button and lower the shade to the position I wanted and it would stay there. No adjustment while the engine was on.

My question... what doesn't make sense is that the shade would be able to fail and unroll! How is that possible? it couldn't have been designed that unsafe.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a way to prevent the shade from entering a freefall?

Sorry , meant to put this in Class A forum.
Sorry this happened to you.

What you are describing is somewhat confusing.

Most front windshield shades roll up and the roll is mounted at the top. As the shade motor turns, it lowers the shade which generally shouldn’t be heavy enough to unroll on its own.

But what do I know. Maybe they will unroll on their own. Sure hope not.

Maybe someone will give you some advice. My advice is to replace it with one that won’t put you in danger.
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Old 01-09-2025, 09:55 PM   #3
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Yeah, makes no sense to me either but there you go. I did try to drive a short ways after rolling the shade back up by hand before using the spring clamp and it started rolling back down. That's when I put the spring clamp on.

It's the original shade and there must be thousands in use in all brands of Class A's
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Old 01-09-2025, 10:51 PM   #4
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Eddie,
Just wondering, is this shade a factory install or was it done aftermarket? Second, has this shade presented any issues of operation or hesitation in extending or retracting since you've had it? In other words, any history of hiccups with this shade?

You state some part(s) of the wiring and or switches were/are not connected, correct? And, that the "wires are/were *SEVERED*,", correct? And, when was the last time you used that shade, up or down or both, before this mishap? Just kind-a trying to figure out some preliminaries to this rather dangerous scenario.

Yep, an instant blindness of the road ahead at 60 mph on a freeway, would definitely put a hurt on the day for sure.
Scott
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Old 01-09-2025, 11:14 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FIRE UP View Post
Eddie,
Just wondering, is this shade a factory install or was it done aftermarket? Second, has this shade presented any issues of operation or hesitation in extending or retracting since you've had it? In other words, any history of hiccups with this shade?

You state some part(s) of the wiring and or switches were/are not connected, correct? And, that the "wires are/were *SEVERED*,", correct? And, when was the last time you used that shade, up or down or both, before this mishap? Just kind-a trying to figure out some preliminaries to this rather dangerous scenario.

Yep, an instant blindness of the road ahead at 60 mph on a freeway, would definitely put a hurt on the day for sure.
Scott
I am assuming it is a factory install but I am the second owner so really can't say.

When we first got the RV in 2019 the shade constantly needed reprogramming for the engine running and not running stops. Eventually I replaced the house and engine batteries with AGMs and redid the house battery hookups, fixed the ground on the house batteries and the constant shade reprogramming problem went away.

The two main power wires on the shade motor are severed.

The programing switch that hangs down by the left window pillar had come off at some point without my realizing. The switch connects to the wires with connectors which are still there.

The new motor will come with a programming switch.

We pretty much full time and use the shade daily. We put it down every night for privacy and back up in the morning for light and view.
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Old 01-10-2025, 06:10 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wdcooper View Post
I am assuming it is a factory install but I am the second owner so really can't say.

When we first got the RV in 2019 the shade constantly needed reprogramming for the engine running and not running stops. Eventually I replaced the house and engine batteries with AGMs and redid the house battery hookups, fixed the ground on the house batteries and the constant shade reprogramming problem went away.

The two main power wires on the shade motor are severed.

The programing switch that hangs down by the left window pillar had come off at some point without my realizing. The switch connects to the wires with connectors which are still there.

The new motor will come with a programming switch.

We pretty much full time and use the shade daily. We put it down every night for privacy and back up in the morning for light and view.
The shade has to be OEM. The windshield pillars have molded guides that the shades fit into and followed down to dash. Also the shades and bracket fit precisely into a cavity at the top. It was obviously built to accommodate that shade.
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Old 01-10-2025, 06:45 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Obtain High View Post
The unrolling of your motorized front shade likely occurred due to a failure in the motor brake or tension mechanism, which is designed to hold the shade in place when the motor is not engaged. When these systems fail,the shade can free-fall due to gravity.


How to Prevent It in the Future:
L
  1. Replace with a Quality Shade: Ensure the new shade has a reliable built-in brake mechanism or spring-loaded tension system to prevent unrolling in case of power loss.
  2. Install a Secondary Safety System: Consider adding manual stops, clamps, or hooks as a backup to secure the shade in place.
  3. Reconnect Programming Switch: Ensure stop points are set properly to avoid unexpected movement.
  4. Inspect Regularly: Periodically check motor and brake mechanisms for wear or damage to prevent future failures.
Replacing the shade with a higher-quality system and adding a physical fail-safe is the best way to avoid this dangerous situation again. Safe travels!
The 4 suggestions you make are fine and honestly I probably will never trust he shade while driving again without securing it.

I have not been able to find anything about a braking system on the MCD motors.

However, after reading your response I found that MCD does make a combination spring tension / motor driven shade. Unfortunately I already have a new motor on the way. I may still go with a new spring / motor and save the motor I have ordered as a backup. I do keep several other spare parts on hand.

I have found that usually somebody on these forums has already experienced whatever problem you are trying to solve. I am hoping somebody with a similar experience will find this. Like I said, there has to thousands of these setups out there.

Thanks for your suggestions.
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Old 01-10-2025, 08:27 AM   #8
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Generally speaking, the tube that the fabric rolls onto is an extruded aluminum tube. The motor slides inside that tube. The motor housing typically fits into slots inside the tube.

The motor housing can fail or the slots can fail and the tube will free wheel.

Based on the wires being severed, my guess is that is what happened.
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Old 01-10-2025, 09:52 AM   #9
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Generally speaking, the tube that the fabric rolls onto is an extruded aluminum tube. The motor slides inside that tube. The motor housing typically fits into slots inside the tube.

The motor housing can fail or the slots can fail and the tube will free wheel.

Based on the wires being severed, my guess is that is what happened.
Slots in tube are good, well formed.

Motor shaft spins freely, no hesitation, no “braking”, no resistance when holding body of motor and turning shaft or placing motor in tube and turning motor housing.

I have a technical support request in with MCD asking for info. I’ll post their response if I get one.
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Old 01-10-2025, 11:23 AM   #10
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Sounds like the reduction gearbox between the motor and output shaft failed. Most likely the only fix is a replacement motor assembly. Then you can take the old one apart and see exactly what component failed.
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Old 01-12-2025, 12:07 AM   #11
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We recently came back from a sightseeing trip and found our over the door awning was extended. It was dead and had to be pushed back in. The clutch/motor break let go and the spring-loaded arms forced it out. Basically, the same thing happened to you. Mine was unfurled because of the spring-loaded arms, yours was unfurled by gravity. You'll need a new motor.
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Old 01-13-2025, 07:41 AM   #12
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Forest River Recall

Forest River has a recall on their shades. I just got my notification for my 2109 FR3 a few months ago. It is for the situation you have. Mine mostly does it when it is cold. It requires a screw to be installed into the tube.
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Old 01-13-2025, 09:44 AM   #13
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Scary! Glad you got stopped safely.

I made my own motorized shade for sun visor purposes only; we use wrap around curtains when camping. Tube motor from eBay, aluminum tube from a local metal supplier, and vinyl from Hobby Lobby. Since mine is used ONLY for a sun visor while driving, I made the vinyl only long enough to come down just past the halfway point. That was to insure that it could never "accidentally" extend down and blind me.
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Old 01-13-2025, 10:02 AM   #14
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Quote:
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Forest River has a recall on their shades. I just got my notification for my 2109 FR3 a few months ago. It is for the situation you have. Mine mostly does it when it is cold. It requires a screw to be installed into the tube.
A 2019 uses an Irvine shade. The OP said they have an MCD shade.

The Irvine shade defect notice: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...8V768-8628.PDF

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