Poll re Escape Quality

[UncleTim]

Has anyone heard if Escape is still going to work on trailers at the Osoyoos rally, like in the past?

That would be a big incentive to go for me.

When Escape Industries closed the door on repairs, they effectively killed my relationship with them. Other than phone calls there is no interaction. I'm not going to buy another trailer.

[dlakeman]

I like the survey, however votes have to be put in perspective. There are RV owners who wouldn't know a potential problem if it was staring them in the face, e.g. chaffing wires/propane lines/plumbing. It's not their fault, they just aren't mechanically inclined. So those owners would say they are happy with the construction because they don't know any different. Three years from now when a propane line chafes through, and there's a leak/explosion, what would that owner say then if they had to vote on quality!

[oldwave]

If you read through the forums, the particular issue with the routing of the propane lines from the tanks, many of use enclosed the line with a pool noodle or in my case, pipe insulation. I would like to see escape redesign that with a protected sleeve .

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by oldwave

If you read through the forums, the particular issue with the routing of the propane lines from the tanks, many of use enclosed the line with a pool noodle or in my case, pipe insulation. I would like to see escape redesign that with a protected sleeve .

I used wire loom and construction-grade zip ties on all my propane, plumbing (underneath and inside), and electrical lines, except the solar panel electrical lines. I secured those to the top of my trailer, and zip tied them together so they wouldn't chafe.

[gbaglo]

You guys worry too much.
This is 12 years old and perfect.

[Colorado Kirk]

We got our ‘21 5.0 delivered in late April to us in Denver. Honestly, I probably had way too high of quality expectations based on the KoolAid drinkers here. 😇😇😇. We’ve had it out for about 12-13 nights so far.

With that said, I think the quality is entirely acceptable for the price point of the trailer. Not exceptional, but acceptable. Our trailer was built during Karl’s “ramp up” of output from 2 trailers a day to his targeted output of 4 trailers per day. I’m quite sure the increased throughput had to have consequences.

Here is a list of things that we’ve noticed…
Spray Foam - kind of everywhere. It’s on the mud flaps and inside of the wheel wells. Even a bit up the side of the trailer in some spots.
Cabinet Door Latches- many are not quite aligned and we’ve purchased replacements with higher tension levels to try to keep the doors closed during travel.
Trailer Brakes- required a trip to a brake shop to adjust since even when the brake controller was at “10”, they would not hold during idle.
Awning- plastic wrapping not removed and caused some binding.
Strip Heater- the heater was not installed in our AC unit. They shipped us the part without question and sent a personal video on how to install it. Easy!
Contemporary Trim - nail holes and fastener locations are pretty obvious and could use another sanding and a bit more concealment.
Table Mount- this is probably the biggest issue. The bench base is not quite perfectly vertical which causes the table mount to be be ever so slightly tilted. The result of this at the end of the table arm is about a 1” list to starboard and about 1.5” tilt aft.
Trailer Arrival- not really Escape’s issue but they cover the fronts of the trailers in blue shrink wrap type material to provide protection. This had started to come off in shipment and “flapped” in the wind for probably 100’s of miles. It caused pretty significant abrasions and I was very concerned about permanent issues with the gel coat. After YouTube research and buffing with a buffing compound, it is 99.9% corrected.

So, the above sounds like a lot. It is not…and really what you can expect in real world when buying from Escape. Quality is far better than stick built but below my brother’s Airstream and the price point reflects this in my opinion. We are extremely happy with it and highly recommend them to all that ask.

[Marpam]

We have a 2015 Escape 21 and have been exceedingly happy with it, both in the quality of build and how well it has performed. Good friends of ours just bought and received a 21 foot NE and we have had the opportunity to camp with them a few times. I gave their trailer the "old hairy eyeball", internally and externally and was very impressed that the quality continues to be very good. They have already put thousands of miles on it and camped in many conditions. It has performed without a hitch. Like many of us old Escape owners I was concerned about how the quality would hold up with the change of ownership. I can say, from my experience, Escape is still a very well built trailer.

[Marpam]

Colorado Kirk, I'm a bourbon drinker not a KoolAid drinker.

[Colorado Kirk]

Captain and diet here!

[oldwave]

We have a 2017 Escape 21c and have been relatively happy with it, outside of minor issues with components and a few assembly issues:a bad crimp on the battery connects, a not fully tightened pex connector to the kitchen faucet. Componements: the board failed in warranty on the water heater and I was shipped a new one form escape, no need to contact the manufacturer. The ubiquitous propane alarm failed at 4 years, and my battery box has broken loose from the screws into the floor that I will be fixing on the road in a few days when I can get to my buddies to help me lift out the batteries from the box, I expect ill find corrosion from the batteries . A broken wire on one of my brakes, which is also a known issue.

However, my observations upon ownership and doing my own repairs, the wiring of 12 and 120 volt systems is marginal and there are no service portals. I would like to see conduit for the inaccessible appliances so it could be serviced. The insulation, even with added insulation option in 2017 is marginal in the walls, the routing of the propane lines from the tanks should be better protected, I added a sleeve to prevent abrasions. I would hope they will have a complete redesign of the assembly procedures and design of wiring in the upcoming 23, for I am sure theses trailers will exceed the 50,000 mark with options. Given all that , we are happy with the trailer and at the time, very pleased with the value. My trailer now would be 10,000 more than I paid for it.

[Marpam]

Excellent

[johnnyv]

Hi Kirk, sorry to hear about your issues. Did you contact Escape ? My 21NE was delivered May 3rd, it also came with the plastic wrap on awning arms and adhesive from plastic wrap. Our awning his a major sag on the rear. Escape told me an adjustment is not covered under warranty. I do believe that private equity ownership is the problem. Hopefully just temporary. That being said I am glad we purchased the trailer. Only been out twice, fingers crossed.

Kind regards

[Colorado Kirk]

Well, thanks but no need to be sorry. We are very happy with the trailer. Probably 9.5/10. Pretty darn good! My point was just that they are not perfect but rather the quality is fair/proportionate to the price point.

And, your comment about investors is probably spot on but probably further emphasizes the quality to price relationship. I’m quite sure Karl is trying to offer a good value and quality product at his target market and price and still deliver the returns the investors expect and require. Quality costs money!

[Tonny LR]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

I began looking for an Escape nearly 10 years ago and have had our 19' for over 8 years. I have owned our 15B for about 4 yrs. In the time that I have been following Escapes my own observations are that:

1) The overall quality of Escape's own work product has generally undergone improvement with time, although there have been issues arise from time to time that have needed corrections (frame recalls, plumbing refits, etc).

2) The quality of add-ons to the Escapes (fridges, stoves, A/C's, windows, awnings, etc) seems to have deteriorated over time, particularly in the last few years.

3) Escape's willingness to correct deficiencies in their product, including add-ons by others, has deteriorated substantially since the change in ownership.

4) Some of the major manufacturer's of add-ons (Dometic in particular) have demonstrated greater and greater resistance in recent years to correct deficiencies in their products. This combined with a lack of interest on Escapes part to help remedy things has made ownership of an Escape with a defective add-on a very stressful experience.

5) Escape's willingness to "go that extra mile" for their customers has all but disappeared since the change in Ownership. I wonder how Escape will fare when the current high demand for travel trailers falls off and competition becomes more fierce.

Of course, these are just my own observations based on my own experiences and from watching and listening on this forum and elsewhere. Others may feel differently.

Great summative assessment!

Tonny LR

[UncleTim]

I agree with Dave's analysis as well.

It's too bad. I think Colorado Kirk is right too.

[bjsmitty]

We own a 2019 Escape 21. Immediately we began having problems with the rt. front axel and the furnace. We were run ragged trying to get Dexter to replace the axel, and they never responded to our calls or letters until Dave (or maybe Dustin) from Escape contacted them and they finally returned our calls. They provided the replacement axel, but never reimbursed us for the installation or the new tire we had to purchase. As for the Dometic furnace, that is still an issue that I assume will never be resolved. The efforts of the staff at Escape were what made the difference in the repairs we really needed.
My only other complaint about the trailer are the windows, but that is our fault because we chose the wrong model.

[MichaelS78]

Originally Posted by bjsmitty

We own a 2019 Escape 21. Immediately we began having problems with the rt. front axel and the furnace. We were run ragged trying to get Dexter to replace the axel, and they never responded to our calls or letters until Dave (or maybe Dustin) from Escape contacted them and they finally returned our calls. They provided the replacement axel, but never reimbursed us for the installation or the new tire we had to purchase. As for the Dometic furnace, that is still an issue that I assume will never be resolved. The efforts of the staff at Escape were what made the difference in the repairs we really needed.
My only other complaint about the trailer are the windows, but that is our fault because we chose the wrong model.

Thanks for sharing, good info to know.

So Escape wouldn't reimburse for the Dexter axle installation and tire either?

Can you give more info about the furnace? I've heard complaints about the Dometic warranty not being worth the paper its written on because they refuse to pay enough for some of the repairs to be done and therefore its really hard to find someone willing to work on those issues.

Can you give more info about the windows? Is it an issue with the framed or frameless windows? Are they leaking or not sliding open easily? Thanks.

Wanted to add that I'm really happy with this poll. Great info to be able to see how many people have had issues. I understand that its not perfect but it definitely helps keep things in context. Lots of happy customers. A good amount with issues too...

[bjsmitty]

The furnace is inconsistent and may work, it may not. We have not figured out the magic combination of fiddling with the thermostat, turning things off, turning things on, opening both propane tanks, etc. The issue with the Dometic furnace has a LOOOONG thread in the Escape Forum and the Fiberglass Forum. It is worth a look. The one time we tried to have it repaired, of course it was working just fine. When the temperature is below 45 degrees is when it may or may not work. It was acting up on our way home from our initial pick-up.

To be fair, the Dometic furnace in our 2015 19' Escape worked beautifully. Never had a problem unless we ran out of propane.

[Tom&Joan]

Originally Posted by Colorado Kirk

Well, thanks but no need to be sorry. We are very happy with the trailer. Probably 9.5/10. Pretty darn good! My point was just that they are not perfect but rather the quality is fair/proportionate to the price point.

And, your comment about investors is probably spot on but probably further emphasizes the quality to price relationship. I’m quite sure Karl is trying to offer a good value and quality product at his target market and price and still deliver the returns the investors expect and require. Quality costs money!

I disagree to a point regarding quality costing money. Years ago, perhaps born of a considerable difference in warranty costs between transmissions built by Mazda and those built by Ford (identical designs), the warranty costs for the Ford units made those more expensive in the long run. Ford then cut their costs by upping the quality. I saw the same thing in the computer company. It costs more to repair it than to make it right in the first place. But then, I suppose if a company had a worthless warranty and kicked the can down the road, that would not hold.

[Doug2000]

I'm on my second Escape. I think they are the best RV on the planet for what I do and where I go, sorry Airstream.