At 9 years of age, and depending on storage conditions, this may not be out of the ordinary if your rig has been exposed to the weather and not under some sort of cover.
I applied 4" wide, white gorilla tape along the entire length of the awning where it attaches to the shell. Fold over at each end to create "shield" of sorts.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f12/hail-damage-holes-in-manual-carefree-awning-17596.html
It's been 3 years now and the gorilla tape has held up very well. Does not detach and protects awning.
and I’ve just been lathering the top, exposed area, of the awning regularly with ArmorAll UV Protection.
I applied 4" wide, white gorilla tape along the entire length of the awning where it attaches to the shell. Fold over at each end to create "shield" of sorts.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f12/hail-damage-holes-in-manual-carefree-awning-17596.html
It's been 3 years now and the gorilla tape has held up very well. Does not detach and protects awning.