Roadtrek Chase Electrical Issues

[jenny.skrel@gmail.com]

We purchased a Roadtrek Chase in February 2022. Been into the dealer 3 times with electrical issues. Keep getting a low voltage alarm. We only have the refrigerator on at night. First fix attempt we were told the solar was wired backwards, this was fixed. Problem remained, back to the dealer and they replaced the alternator. Problem still exists. Back to dealer and they replaced one of the lithium batteries and said this would fix the problem. Picked up the RV on Monday and drove it 1.5 hrs home and turned on refrigerator to test overnight and again low voltage alarm went off. We have tried to troubleshoot with the inverter on and off and still low voltage with jus refrigerator on. We are running the engine while in our driveway and the voltage remains low. The last trip to the dealer the RV was with them for 43 days to try and fix the issue. Still no resolution. We have an RV that continues to have low voltage problems. Thinking of hiring a "lemon law" attorney at this point. We have been extremely patient with the dealer but are at our wits end. We have had other RV's since 1994 with no issues. As a side note the issue existed before we even bought the RV. At the RV show they could not show us how anything worked as the Firefly was dead. They keep saying if we charge the RV and drive it our problems will be solved. This is not the case. I believe La Mesa RV in Sacramento, CA is unable to solve the problem even with all the fixes they have done. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix our electrical problem?

[mkguitar]

I don't think the "lemon law" applies to the "RV part" as it would to a vehicle.
And it may only apply to a passenger vehicle rather than the commercial chassis most often used for our van.



Roadtrek has become the industry leader in failed technology introductions and it seems support


says the internet ( prove us wrong roadtrek/ La Mesa)



I'd save all your paperwork



IF the solar ( or anything) was "wired backward" that that could harm multiple components.


You could always park your busted RV outside one of the la mesa stadium shows which seem to be held every month

[mkguitar]

just had a look at some of their specs


shocked to see a freshwater capacity 14.5 gallons larger than the combined black and grey tank capacity - that's nuts


"RV warranty
Two (2) year comprehensive, no mileage limit warranty. Please contact your nearest Roadtrek dealer for complete details."

[RossDinan6]

I can not offer any specifics in your case. My opinion is you need to find a competent RV/automotive/marine electrician. Just because the builder assembled the parts and the dealer sold it (and BTW has a service department) does not mean either is competent.

I say this from my own experience as a marine electrician. Years ago a builder had one of their products back three times unable to solve the issue. I took 30 minutes. They were not interested in knowing what the problem was.

Spend your own money, despite the pain of paying while under a useless warranty, document it, and hit them up for repayment. At least you likely won't be losing another 1.5 months of use for them to not fix it.

Ross

[jenny.skrel@gmail.com]

Thanks for your response. We were just thinking of taking it to our mechanic who worked on our last RV.

[jenny.skrel@gmail.com]

My husband did some more troubleshooting again tonight. At 7 pm the firefly showed the voltage at 12.8. He drove for 2 hours hoping the voltage would increase. Just arrived home (8:55 pm) and voltage is 12.8. Very frustrating.

[mumkin]

La Mesa dealers are consistently useless - their service departments are generally incompetent.

Have you talked to the factory? If not, call and ask for Sean Heinz. He is the manager of warranty and service and has been extremely helpful working with some of the poor dealers, or perhaps he can send you to one of the known competent mechanics in California who can deal with these systems. (of which there are about 3, but none are dealers)

It seems that your underhood generator (2nd alternator) is not charging the batteries. Since they said that they replaced it, perhaps the Balmar (controller) is bad or set wrong. I would suggest calling Nations Starter in Missouri and they can help your husband troubleshoot.

[tbrsedona]

I had the same problem with our 2021 Zion. It required updating the Firefly software to allow each lithium battery to reset. One of ours was not recharging due to this issue. Roadtrek can supply you with the required updated software that you will receive via email and instructed to transfer to a 16 or 32bit thumb drive that plugs into the back side of the monitor screen. It can require several attempts to reset the battery(s). Best thing to do is have Roadtrek talk you through the procedure. I think Chris helped me.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Good luck.

Tom

[Lizzy]

I recommend you call Sean Heinz at Roadtrek. Also join the Roadtrek Zion and Simplicity Owners Group on Facebook. A great resource for your van. It is fixable, you just need to find the issue. These vans are complicated, when they work the hey are awesome.

[Glamper Jan]

I have the exact same issue in my coachmen beyond while in Arizona. Kept reading 11.8 on my coach battery and had to run on my generator for a week. I took it to a dealer in Apache Junction and they said it was wired incorrectly and rewired it. For 24 hours it ran perfect Firefly worked and and all the appliances. Then the next morning exact same issue. I took it back and they said nothing they could do about it they think it's the inverter because because battery kept testing OK.
So I go over to Discount Solar in Quartzsite AZ. And they said the 200 W was just not enough to charge it. I only have the refrigerator on and never use the AC. They tested the inverter and they could not get the alarm to stop. So we called zantrex and they fedex a new inverter over and returned the other one. Added one more solar panel to make it 300 on the roof And for the 1st time in 6 months it read full. I was exstatic.
So in my case it was the inverter and they wired it correctly and I've had no issues with it since. Have them change out your inverter and I bet your problems will be solved.