Catastrophic Frame Failure (2012 Escape 17B)

[tiercel]

Hi Everyone,

We just had a horrifying incident with our 2012 Escape 17B, but it could have been so much worse. On day 1 of a planned 4-day outing in mid-October, while driving slowly through a Safeway parking lot, we heard a loud crash. The frame of our Escape had completely broken just behind the tongue, immediately in front of the cross beam for the forward stabilizers. The trailer tongue was still connected to the hitch ball, but the front edge of the fiberglass shell was on the ground, connected to the tongue only by the propane hose and electrical wiring.

Because the tongue was still connected to the truck the breakaway switch didn't activate, and if this had happened on the highway (where the trailer spent 99.9% of its time when on a trip) people could easily have died.

Both main longitudinal steel tubes comprising the frame had sheared off, and inspection of the broken parts showed that some of the broken edges were rusty, indicating they had been cracked for some time. It had never occurred to me to closely inspect the frame for cracks, but clearly this is something that every trailer owner (not just Escapes) should do periodically. Our Escape 17B was 10 years old and has perhaps 30,000 miles on it, mostly on pavement but with a little bit of time on gravel forest service roads (we have the high lift axle and larger wheels). It has never been in an accident or suffered any kind of abuse, and has always been towed perfectly level. We live in Washington State with mild winters and no salt on the roads during the winter, so there was no unusual source of corrosion. Our towing vehicle in a 2011 Toyota Tacoma 4WD (Access Cab model).

[Doug2000]

Your really lucky!

Find a good weld shop, not that hard a fix. Don’t take it to a RV dealership, find a weld shop that can fix it. They will have to lift the body a few inches.

[Chamberman]

It looks like the crack began at the weld for the stabilizer and propagated upward from there.

[Rockhead]

So thankful y’all are all ok. When you get this repaired, make sure they check the entire frame for any stress cracks

[Fender]

Yikes!
Am I dreaming this or was there at one time a recall for beefing up the frame in this area?

[MrLynn]

That's scary! Seems odd to me that both sides broke off at the same place, almost as if there had been some unusual stress, like the stabilizers down and hitting a curb. But you would have known that. Or maybe there was something wrongly done when the stabilizers were welded on.

I would contact Escape and ask them to evaluate the problem and advise you and other owners of the same model. Have any others experienced the same or similar failures?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Fender

Yikes!
Am I dreaming this or was there at one time a recall for beefing up the frame in this area?

There was a recall in late 2015 that involved the mending plate at the frame joint which from tiercel's pictures appears to have been done. This applied to certain 15's, 17's and 19's with 3" frames. A second frame recall in April 2018 applied only to the early 19's with 3" frames but it appears it would have also been a benefit to the 17 in this case as well. The type of frame support that was added in the second recall extends back over the area where this frame broke.

So glad this happened in a parking lot if it had to happen at all. Scary to think of what could have been if this happened on the highway. I hope that nerves can be calmed and tiercel can get it fixed and back on the road.

[ChuckBC]

It looks like the metal plate applied on the previous smaller 3" rail was a plate just on bottom of rail and to me it should have boxed the frame more with sides overlapped?

I wonder also about the stress placed on frame joint(s) when you use jack and lift the back end of tow vehicle with coupled hitch. Who's good with physics?

[Iowa Dave]

CERTIFIED welders are good with physics. They understand stresses, metal strength, Welding technique, amperage and component sizes. Find one either at a frame shop, welding shop or through references from someone who owns big equipment and depends on a firm to keep it repaired when needed. Cost is not the object here.

If you search a forum sponsored by a welder manufacturer like Miller Welders, you will come to realize these folks are as serious about their welding as Escape owners are about their trailers. It can be done and it can be much stronger than new.

Regular inspection of the underside of your camper is important just like washing and waxing and a whole lot more critical to your towing and camping safety.
You look with your eyes, you see with your mind.
Best wishes for a successful repair.
Iowa Dave

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

There was a recall in late 2015 that involved the mending plate at the frame joint which from tiercel's pictures appears to have been done. This applied to certain 15's, 17's and 19's with 3" frames.

It should be noted that even the first frame recall was only issued for the 15's and 17's for good measure. It was determined by ETI to be necessary on the 19 only. At least according to this post from late 2020 when a 17 owner was inquiring about the recall kit...
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post356926

[Ron in BC]

Scary for sure but not the first time an Escape has ended up in two pieces. In another case the shell did completely detach and end up in another place. That incident was never posted on the forum. So much for the theory that it was all wine and roses in the days of R & T. It wasn't for no reason that Reace used to say, "what could go wrong".

I can't see the detail enough but I'm not sure it was the bolt for the stabilizer that caused the crack propagation. It appeared to start at the edge of the stabilizer base plate. I think it formed a "hard point" that prevented flexing from going past it causing failure at that point.

But all water under the bridge now. As others have said, a good welder can not only fix the frame but make it stronger.

Glad no one was injured and good luck on the repair.

Ron

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I can't see the detail enough but I'm not sure it was the bolt for the stabilizer that caused the crack propagation. It appeared to start at the edge of the stabilizer base plate. I think it formed a "hard point" that prevented flexing from going past it causing failure at that point.

Ron - I'm not positive but it looks like that stabilizer was welded on. That was how they were attached on some early trailers or at least that is the case with our 2010. As Chamberman noted it appears the failure seems to have started right at the forward weld.

[Eggscape]

Not to mention a possible propane line rupture and sparks from dragging metal.
I will be interested in hearing what Escape has to say.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by tiercel

The trailer tongue was still connected to the hitch ball, but the front edge of the fiberglass shell was on the ground, connected to the tongue only by the propane hose and electrical wiring.

Scary! I'm assuming based on the above statement a weight distributing hitch was not used. Did the previous owner use a weight distributing hitch?

[David H]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Ron - I'm not positive but it looks like that stabilizer was welded on. That was how they were attached on some early trailers or at least that is the case with our 2010. As Chamberman noted it appears the failure seems to have started right at the forward weld.

I agree it sure looks like the stabilizer was welded to the frame, picture shows the remaining ligament of the fillet weld between the two. Could have been an existing toe crack at that fillet weld looking at the fracture face with limited visual information, but the rusting could indicate it was partly separated for some time.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Ron - I'm not positive but it looks like that stabilizer was welded on. That was how they were attached on some early trailers or at least that is the case with our 2010. As Chamberman noted it appears the failure seems to have started right at the forward weld.

I'm not sure either. I tried looking at the photo with a magnifying glass and it looks to me like a the smooth front edge of the stabilizer base. But none the less no surprise that the fatigue and crack started between an area that could flex and an area that couldn't.

I'm happy that stabilizers are no longer welded on because I've found that I can get mine much cleaner by removing them. Maybe others don't get their's as dirty and gritty as me because they don't travel on a lot of muddy gravel roads as I do and don't ever remove them for cleaning but I do.

Ron

[Ron in BC]

Also, I'm trying to see where the first frame to shell attachment is.

Current design has moved from the old vertical bolt through frame to an angle iron bracket welded to the side of the frame with two vertical bolts though its' flange, not through the frame. The first bolt is only a few inches back after the curve ends.

So any repair should include an angle iron bracket welded to the frame as far forward as possible to reduce the length of the lever arm.

Ron

[Viajante]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I'm not sure either. I tried looking at the photo with a magnifying glass and it looks to me like a the smooth front edge of the stabilizer base. But none the less no surprise that the fatigue and crack started between an area that could flex and an area that couldn't.

I'm happy that stabilizers are no longer welded on because I've found that I can get mine much cleaner by removing them. Maybe others don't get their's as dirty and gritty as me because they don't travel on a lot of muddy gravel roads as I do and don't ever remove them for cleaning but I do.

Ron

What catches my eye is the lack of rust on the broken beam. There is rust along the bottom edge, but the rest of the break looks freshly sheared. If the curbside beam looks the same way then my uneducated guess is that once the cracks made it along the bottom edges of both beams the rest of the break occurred quickly. I believe the OP that it happened with a sudden crash.

[MrLynn]

Is it common for there to be rust inside a box-beam frame like that one?

[Eggscape]

Yes very common.
Unless you build your own frame and have OSD…most tube frames are raw metal inside.
I think I remember one person with an Escape drilled a hole in the bottom of the frame and water ran out.