5 Problems With Our New Keystone Cougar RV

Well, the good news is that the RV has a kitchen. Right now it feels like I'm participating in some sort of game show called The Great RV Breakdown Challenge.

#keystonerv #rvlifeproblems #rvlife

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[andysmith]

The problem with finding so many little things early is it undermines your confidence in the rest of the unit.

[Pauljohn]

Having now looked very closely at almost every brand of travel trailer around 30 feet from $22k to over $80k I can honestly say I think they are all junk! Even the top names seem to not be above crappy workmanship particularly in areas that are difficult to examine and therefore unlikely to be seen by the average consumer. On one unit with a MSPR of $82, 177, staples had been used inside the kitchen cabinets to hold them together. Even a non-technical person would likely understand those cabinets will soon fall apart as they are shaken about going down the road. I've sadly come to the conclusion what ever I buy will need a lot of TLC on my part and I have no illusions the dealer or the manufacturer will fix anything in a time frame any person would find acceptable.

[RCBOMBSHELLS]

Great info. Thought we found a luxury brand RV. You have no need to apologize. Build quality - garbage, backup up with lack of customer support. Extra effort is not required at this price, just build a good product and stand behind it. Thank you sir, your information and swayed our decision.

[billhasselbrack]

We were considering buying a Keystone Cougar travel trailer a couple of years ago and went to check one out. We found a puddle of water on top of the plastic-covered mattress from the leaking front window. I also found a side window where I could fit a finger between the frame and the side of the camper. The fit and finish was terrible. We liked some of their floorplans so months later we did give Cougar a second look thinking that the first trailer was not typical for the brand. Again we found that the front window was leaking. Needless to say, we didn't buy a Cougar.

[hammerful]

We had some problems when we 1st got our camper. After getting the run around trying get some of it fixed and talking to other people with similar problems I said screw it and just fixed it myself. We've put about 25k miles on it. When we get back from trips I just go over it and fix anything that came loose because of bad construction and bad highways.

[fatherfoxstrongpaw]

see, this is why i prefer to buy used. 1: all the problems are already found and the trailer's sold at big discounts near the actual "value" of said rig. 2: upgrade path is established. 3: list all repairs and upgrades + price of said trailer (ONLY IF IT HAS GOOD BONES!). 4: if the price is near or less than a new one (not counting the 30% you should know your going to invest in the hidden costs) continue to step 7. 6: if not walk/run! and finally step 7: buy and customize at a significant savings and have fun making it your own!

[Maxible]

I'm currently in the market for this exact camper. Thank you for sharing! This was extremely helpful.

[rvhtravels]

You just know if the small things are not done correctly, then the large, more Important things will fail as well.

[frankthetank]

Unfortunately there are no regulations that need to be met in the RV industry. If you get an RV that is not built terrible you’re one of the lucky ones!

[Erin-Thor]

I’ve been to multiple RV shows to narrow my purchase decision between a few Cougar and Montana models. I saw so many quality issues, from crooked cabinet, trim loose, screws missing, draw bottom dropped out (rep said ‘some 🤓 put the manuals in there’ like that’s a reasonable excuse for not holding 2 pounds of paper), wall covering with the edges rough cut, TV mount off kilter, I left with the realization Keystone does zero QC before shipping.

[airlandsea]

The more I find out about the general construction of RVs, any RV, the happier I am that I am building my own camper. Anything brand new is likely the worst quality you will find. And anything very old is likely rotting in a few places and you have no idea. Then there are the leaks. Every single opening in the shell is a potential leak and likely will sooner or later. I might not even put in a window :)

[ashliegilbert]

We had the same problems with our 2021 292bhwe passport.
Sacha from keystone said "it's just a fit and finish issue"
Our response is "it didn't fit so they didn't finish"

[rvfuntimes]

We owned a Keystone Cougar and the grey water tank split two weeks before the warranty ran out. I called CS and they documented it and said I'd be OK till we got it to the shop. Well the A/H's told the dealership they didn't know anything about it. I called and told Keystone I'd bash there cheap ass till I die. Keystone is a POS.

[DM-tfmk]

I have a 2017 Starcraft Launch 17BH. Definitely not considered an expensive unit by any means, but after reading and watching a lot of videos I feel it's built better then any of these newer supposedly higher end units. I've had a few issues I've fixed but nothing crazy.

[debpritjay]

Thanks for sharing it was at the top Cougar now I’m reconsidering

[ClaudiaTorres-Villa]

We got ours in August and used it that same month once! The tire cover broke just like your did. The battery won’t hold (we went camping in the mountains) so the generator had to be on most of the time, we were squirrel hunting, the less noise the more squirrels. When we got back the tv won’t turn on and the in command panel will not turn on either. We had a Jayco I was so much happier with that one but we lost it to a fire. My husband and son convinced me to get the cougar last time I listen to them. Cougar is not high quality if you ask me for the price. The handle of the shower door fell off during the drive to the mountains.

[Johnstrat]

Being a camper for quite sometime, you are certainly correct.

I've only owned two campers, a Jayco pop up and a 30 ft olympia Autumn Ridge.

Most campers I've looked at seem cheap. I especially don't trust things like plumbing.

There always seems to be some kind of issue. You'd swear these things were assembled by 12 year olds.... almost like there is no supervision during the build process.

That Jayco i own has been through steady, torrential rain on many occasions with no leaks. Just really solid.

I'm waiting to see what happens with my new olympia. There's bound to be something.

You're right, we spend thousands of dollars on these the very least, they should be reliable. Built well AND have owners manuals absolutely and positively specific to that model!

The best brand, in my humble opinion, that I've walked through and contemplated purchasing was a grand design.

They certainly are not cheap though.

My first jaunt in my new camper will be in another month.

My fingers are crossed.

[Brent-scsc]

Thank you for informing about the shortcomings. So sorry headaches, I had been considering buying one in the spring. NOT NOW.

[squirrel_]

I had eleven issues with my Keystone Passport ranging from minor to dangerous. We had a gas leak, doors falling off, the water pump failed before we even drove off the lot and several other things happen. This was back in 2015 and the story we were told was they had "a new QC person that took over" whatever that means. The dealership bought the trailer back from us which was good on them but my confidence in Keystone is shaken.

[randy]

Cougar 26RDS here. We had a few issues when new. Kitchen window leaked. We removed window and installed it properly, check valve on water heater was bad but that was about all. With your awning unrolling when traveling, notice that bolt on the tow end of the awning. Adjust the bolt out towards the siding. This is a lock mechanism. When the slide is in, the bolt head contacts the side, putting pressure on a lock that stops the awning fabric from unrolling when traveling. Don’t adjust out too far, should just contact when closed. As far as anything else, we, so far, haven’t had any other issues, not like other RVers.