2013 Palomino Columbus Brakes Problems

“I received a letter from lippert inc. Indicating that there were issues with brake components installed on my Columbus 320rs fifth wheel that could lead to a failure to stop the trailer. I took it into berryland campers and had them inspected. The lippert seals used on the wheel assemblies had leaked grease, contaminating the brake pads with grease. Lippert covered pad and seal replacement under warranty.”

“This is a 5th wheel trailer. It is towed by a 2012 f250 with factory brake controller. The brakes on the trailer seemed to be getting weaker each time I towed it and I kept increasing the gain on the controller to compensate. However on this date as I was exiting hwy. 101 at el capitan state beach at 55 MPH there was little-to-no braking via the trailer, I had to brake hard with the truck's brakes to make a turn at the end of the off ramp. It was quite concerning. …”

“The travel trailer is unable to stop due to faulty seals leaking and getting grease on the brake hardware. I am aware of the problem with these seals due to other trailers identified with this problem. I have contacted the manufacture of the axel assembly lci (lippert) and was told that since my trailer was 2 years out of warranty nothing could be done. Also I was made aware that letters where sent out about this problem and I never received one, again I was told that since my trailer was 2 years out of warranty I would not have received one.”

“While taking our first long trip in our new Columbus 5th wheel trailer earlier this year, we quickly discovered there was a significant problem with the effectiveness of the braking system. At first it seemed minor, but the more we traveled, the more evident it became. It culminated with a trip into a state park in texas that had a steep winding road down in to the campground. Part way down realized that I had almost no braking ability from my trailer. After leaving this park I found a shop in kentucky that could inspect my brakes. …”

“From the time we bought our new fifth wheel trailer, it had not appeared to stop like previous trailers we had owned. I even went and traded in a one year old f-250 for a f-350 dually and it still did not seem to stop properly. After our only trip of approximately 500 miles, we figured out that we truly had no trailer brakes. We immediately took it back to our dealer who pulled all the wheels and brake assemblies. All of the brakes were covered with grease and evidently the rear seals were blown. Lippert was contacted and they sent four entirely new brake assemblies. …”