Wow - all exports temporarily suspended

[kstock11]

The good news is that this shouldn't affect production or cash flow at Escape. Process has always been to pay when unit is complete and Escape stores many trailers during the winter and spring for later pickup. Very disappointing for customers who have seen delivery moving in and out due to changes at Escape. Reece & Tommy will do
everything in their power to resolve this for their customers.

 

[J Mac]

In case I missed it, does this apply only to new trailers?

 

[titanizer]

Hey GregandTeresa
Looking forward to Defeated Crk weekend and meeting you two also. Hopefully, you will be draggin the 19' behind you.:confetti: If not, it will still be fun.:greetings:

 

[NW Cat Owner]

The good news is that this shouldn't affect production or cash flow at Escape. Process has always been to pay when unit is complete and Escape stores many trailers during the winter and spring for later pickup. Very disappointing for customers who have seen delivery moving in and out due to changes at Escape. Reece & Tommy will do everything in their power to resolve this for their customers.

It'll completely suck for those that have vacation time scheduled to go up there for a pick up. Or if they're on the road right now and won't find out until they actually get there. Unless they're Canadian! Then it won't matter.

I doubt they'd change any production times for the trailers, since they can be stored on their lot. Someone suggested many posts ago Canadian deliveries might be bumped up if they hold off on starting production on American deliveries. And I'm sure ETI is hoping it'll take less than 8 weeks to get resolved.

I also feel for the delivery company as this probably completely buggers up their schedule.

I can also imagine the headache for scheduling orientations once they're able to start exporting again. "Oh, sorry, you're only allowed an hour since we have 20 other trailers to get out of here" sort of situation! Doubt it would be quite like that, but one can only imagine the backlog.

It probably won't affect us since our delivery date is so late in the year and we never got an email saying it was getting moved up, like at least one other person did.

Once they get this sorted out, maybe it'll be easier for folks to register their trailers if the VIN is in the system properly. I know some folks have reported huge hassles in registering and maybe that was one of the reasons. However, who really knows as many haven't had problems.

All I know is that I still plan to head up there when Sarah tells me the 2nd Gen 21' is on display. She said it just needs some finishing touches and she'll let me know when she gets a date from production.

 

[jennykatz]

now what ?

I was going up to ETI this week but no sense going up now .I think i'll wait to see how this sorts out .We have a Nov.due date and delivery to Goshen, Indiana .We are supposed to finish our build sheet by Aug .8th and pay by Oct 1st or so .I was going up there to look at new 21's and finish build sheet and pay . I hope they can sort this out it. Might just be changing Vin numbers I would think since they are going to the new 2017 models that it would be an easy fix .I would hope that the US govt.would let the one's that are built go out but no Cigar . Jim

 

[Marry-ESC]

And I was feeling sorry for myself... : orientation and pick up was scheduled for today, but son got in car accident, broken ribs, bruised lung, etc., made us cancel and re-schedule for September. Being with you all, US escape-to-bees!! Feeling for you, for ETI, and all others affected! Hang in there!!!!

 

[NuthatchBC]

Sure sounds like paranoia is alive and well in the good ol' USofA. Or, has someone has already pointed out, maybe some the US trailer manufacturers that are connected in DC are getting the screws tightened on Canadian manufacturers like ETI because they can't compete with the quality of the trailers. Either way, it's total BS. I hope it gets sorted out soon so those in the US can get their trailers.

Doug

 

[War Eagle]

Unless I read it wrong, it also looks like ETI will have to record what specific new tires are mounted on each new trailer (Section 574.8), and then retain those records for at least 5 years (Section 575.6), in case there is a manufacturer's safety recall on the tires. Is that new? Since each Escape camper has it's own unique build sheet, it seems like something that ETI can simply footnote on each build sheet. One more thing for ETI to have to do, but I understand the rationale behind the rule.

 

[War Eagle]

And I was feeling sorry for myself... : orientation and pick up was scheduled for today, but son got in car accident, broken ribs, bruised lung, etc., made us cancel and re-schedule for September. Being with you all, US escape-to-bees!! Feeling for you, for ETI, and all others affected! Hang in there!!!!

Marry, So sorry to hear about your son. Wishing him a speedy recovery and counting the blessings that it wasn't worse....

 

[Jim Bennett]

And I was feeling sorry for myself... : orientation and pick up was scheduled for today, but son got in car accident, broken ribs, bruised lung, etc., made us cancel and re-schedule for September. Being with you all, US escape-to-bees!! Feeling for you, for ETI, and all others affected! Hang in there!!!!

I hope the young fella heals quickly.

 

[freespirit]

Sure sounds like paranoia is alive and well in the good ol' USofA. Or, has someone has already pointed out, maybe some the US trailer manufacturers that are connected in DC are getting the screws tightened on Canadian manufacturers like ETI because they can't compete with the quality of the trailers. Either way, it's total BS. I hope it gets sorted out soon so those in the US can get their trailers.

Doug

no paranoia and no tin foil hats on this hill in Texas...this camper is on the same wavelength as Brian about this matter and he's in Canada!;D
it will all get sorted out soon..but it is a hassle for those in labor and waiting for delivery..

 

[BCnomad]

I was going up to ETI this week but no sense going up now.I was going up there to look at new 21's and finish build sheet and pay . I hope they can sort this out it. Jim

Hope you get the chance to go Jim, at some point, paperwork changes or no. A pre-sale (pre build sheet turn in) visit to the factory is highly recommended, imho.



Maybe I will send up the box of chocolates to the front office staff....

 

[Klem]

I'd suggest everyone interested visit this site:


Home | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)


My guess is ETI sells many trailers in the USA and 'maybe' there was a complaint, insurance claim, lawsuit, or whatever and it 'got the attention' of the NHTSA.


Looks like everything is now electronic and companies ALL must comply with the process for OUR health and safety. I'm thankful to be able to enter the VINs of all our vehicles and will get email notification of any recalls.


If you think of all the possible things that could trigger a 'suspension' like a solar panel flying off, a cracked frame, etc. that would be reported by police reports, insurance claims etc. ETI would get notified and IF they were slow at responding, or simply didn't have the drawings, plans, schematics or whatever documentation not properly signed off by the appropriate "professional", delay in mail or processing ... all could result in a suspension.


I'd guess that ETI was not 'surprised' by the suspension but may have been struggling to comply with requests. I see the 2017 model introductions has not gone as smooth as they would like. Possibly delays in this NHTSA process could have an impact on their process?


You are welcome to your opinions about the government. Personally I am thankful the NHTSA agency is forcing manufacturers to make fair and timely recalls and making the process transparent to ALL of us on the website.

 

[CADreamin]

Marry - Thinking of you and your son and hoping for a speedy recovery!

 

[CADreamin]

We kind of think alike . Pat

I agree Pat (and they say we Californians are too laid back ;-) Of course, my cynicism comes from 35+ years of working for a large Government contractor that had no problem buying up the competition ... big and small.

 

[CADreamin]

Good points Klem! This could have been triggered by any such incident. And, yes, in most cases Government oversight is a good thing.

 

[Brian B-P]

... ETI will become part of a huge data base here in the lower 48 and when customers go to register their trailers it may make things smoother and easier, with ETI now on the inside so to speak.

Right... and ETI is in the manufacturer's database anyway. It appears that all that's missing is registration of ETI VIN decoding information, which is an important part of making that database (actually a set of related databases) useful.

Some forum members have posted about frustrating experiences with registration of their trailers, including a requirement for a VIN check by a suitable authority. The online VIN Decoder tool - which doesn't work for Escapes yet but will when everything is properly set up - makes it trivial for any clerk to read the VIN from the paperwork or the trailer, punch it in the tool, and confirm that the VIN is correct for that make and model of trailer. This is the world getting better, not worse.

 

[Brian B-P]

Unless I read it wrong, it also looks like ETI will have to record what specific new tires are mounted on each new trailer (Section 574.8), and then retain those records for at least 5 years (Section 575.6), in case there is a manufacturer's safety recall on the tires. Is that new? Since each Escape camper has it's own unique build sheet, it seems like something that ETI can simply footnote on each build sheet. One more thing for ETI to have to do, but I understand the rationale behind the rule.

I had not dug into enough detail to see that specific requirement, but I don't find it surprising and I agree that is an appropriate requirement for a vehicle manufacturer, which I am sure ETI will have no trouble meeting (and probably already meets).

One result of this mess is that has given many people a greater appreciation of the complexity and effort involved in manufacturing and selling a product, especially a vehicle.

 

[Brian B-P]

In case I missed it, does this apply only to new trailers?

I assume yes. It is impossible to retroactively bring all manufacturers into compliance with current systems - some of them don't even exist any more - yet older vehicles (including trailers) will still be imported to the U.S. The processes for a foreign manufacturer exporting to the U.S., and a private U.S. resident importing, are not the same.

 

[Brian B-P]

I was going up to ETI this week but no sense going up now .I think i'll wait to see how this sorts out .We have a Nov.due date and delivery to Goshen, Indiana .We are supposed to finish our build sheet by Aug .8th and pay by Oct 1st or so .I was going up there to look at new 21's and finish build sheet and pay . I hope they can sort this out it. Might just be changing Vin numbers I would think since they are going to the new 2017 models that it would be an easy fix .

Why not go, Jim? They're not sending any trailers across the border for now, but that's temporary so production continues without interruption, and your schedule and your process of finalizing choices and your purchase can stay exactly the same.

The delivery company might be behind for a while, catching up once exports restart, but they must certainly be caught up long before November. Also, deliveries to Goshen are tied to trips to pick up materials from Goshen area suppliers, so those trips presumably go whether there are trailers to deliver or not.

The VINs are apparently not changing, but even if they do it doesn't affect anything about the purchase process - as long as the final VIN is known by the time the purchaser needs it for any financing or registration purposes.