Our Brinkley Fifth Wheel Lost a Wheel at 60 MPH | RV Axle Failure
RetirementLife4Us
128,469 views
Our Brinkley fifth wheel lost an entire wheel while we were traveling about 60 MPH on I-15 near Tremonton, Utah. What started as the final leg of our RV trip quickly turned into a serious RV axle failure that left us on the side of the interstate trying to understand what had just happened.
We never felt an impact, vibration, pulling, or anything else that warned us a wheel was coming off. Our first indication that something was wrong was seeing part of the fender moving. After pulling over, we walked back to discover that the wheel, hub and brake assembly were completely gone from the forward driver-side axle position.
In this video, we share what happened as it unfolded—from discovering the missing wheel and dealing with roadside assistance, to getting our fifth wheel safely off the highway, being stopped by a sheriff while slowly moving the RV to a repair facility, and ultimately getting an escort the rest of the way.
We were fortunate to find C&R Auto & Trailer Sales in Tremonton, where they stepped up to help us when getting immediate RV service proved difficult. Their initial inspection confirmed that this was not going to be a simple repair, and our Brinkley is now about 800 miles from home while we work through what happened and what will be required to make it safe again.
We called Brinkley RV as soon as they opened Monday morning. They answered, opened a claim for us and immediately began helping us locate a repair facility that could look at the RV. Brinkley has been responsive and helpful so far, and we are continuing to work with them as we learn more about what happened and what repairs will be needed.
We also learned about an existing recall involving certain Brinkley fifth wheels equipped with a 7,000-lb axle with the same part number as ours. The recall describes a spindle-weld condition that can result in separation of the spindle and wheel assembly. At this point, we do not know whether that recall condition is related to what happened to us. We have shared the recall information with Brinkley as part of the investigation.
Most importantly, nobody was hurt, and we are extremely grateful for that. But this incident shook both of us more than we can probably express in a video. We understand how differently this could have ended, and it has caused us to seriously question something we never expected to question—whether we feel safe continuing to travel this way.
RV travel has become a big part of how we want to spend this stage of our retirement, and we aren't ready to give that up. But before we continue our fifth-wheel travels, we need to understand what happened and have real confidence that our Brinkley is properly repaired and safe to tow.
This isn't a video we ever expected—or wanted—to make. We're simply sharing our experience as it happened, what we know today, and what we still don't know.
We will share an update once the cause, repairs and resolution become clearer.
Retirement Life 4 Us is about our life in retirement—RV travel, e-bike adventures, great places, good food and the unexpected things that sometimes happen along the way. Thanks for traveling with us.
#BrinkleyRV #FifthWheel #RVLife #RVTravel #RVSafety
Chapters
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0:00 Our Wheel Is Gone
1:44 Getting the Brinkley Off the Road
6:59 The Next Morning...
10:40 Then the Sheriff Pulled Us Over
12:16 We Finally Make It to C&R
13:20 The Technician Takes a Look
17:10 What Happens From Here?
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20 Comments
I look forward to following your adventures. We used to travel around the country when we were younger but now in our 70’s and with a few health issues, long distance travel in a vehicle isn’t something we do anymore.
Our Brinkley Fifth Wheel Lost a Wheel at 60 MPH | RV Axle Failure
RetirementLife4Us
128,469 views
Our Brinkley fifth wheel lost an entire wheel while we were traveling about 60 MPH on I-15 near Tremonton, Utah. What started as the final leg of our RV trip quickly turned into a serious RV axle failure that left us on the side of the interstate trying to understand what had just happened.
We never felt an impact, vibration, pulling, or anything else that warned us a wheel was coming off. Our first indication that something was wrong was seeing part of the fender moving. After pulling over, we walked back to discover that the wheel, hub and brake assembly were completely gone from the forward driver-side axle position.
In this video, we share what happened as it unfolded—from discovering the missing wheel and dealing with roadside assistance, to getting our fifth wheel safely off the highway, being stopped by a sheriff while slowly moving the RV to a repair facility, and ultimately getting an escort the rest of the way.
We were fortunate to find C&R Auto & Trailer Sales in Tremonton, where they stepped up to help us when getting immediate RV service proved difficult. Their initial inspection confirmed that this was not going to be a simple repair, and our Brinkley is now about 800 miles from home while we work through what happened and what will be required to make it safe again.
We called Brinkley RV as soon as they opened Monday morning. They answered, opened a claim for us and immediately began helping us locate a repair facility that could look at the RV. Brinkley has been responsive and helpful so far, and we are continuing to work with them as we learn more about what happened and what repairs will be needed.
We also learned about an existing recall involving certain Brinkley fifth wheels equipped with a 7,000-lb axle with the same part number as ours. The recall describes a spindle-weld condition that can result in separation of the spindle and wheel assembly. At this point, we do not know whether that recall condition is related to what happened to us. We have shared the recall information with Brinkley as part of the investigation.
Most importantly, nobody was hurt, and we are extremely grateful for that. But this incident shook both of us more than we can probably express in a video. We understand how differently this could have ended, and it has caused us to seriously question something we never expected to question—whether we feel safe continuing to travel this way.
RV travel has become a big part of how we want to spend this stage of our retirement, and we aren't ready to give that up. But before we continue our fifth-wheel travels, we need to understand what happened and have real confidence that our Brinkley is properly repaired and safe to tow.
This isn't a video we ever expected—or wanted—to make. We're simply sharing our experience as it happened, what we know today, and what we still don't know.
We will share an update once the cause, repairs and resolution become clearer.
Retirement Life 4 Us is about our life in retirement—RV travel, e-bike adventures, great places, good food and the unexpected things that sometimes happen along the way. Thanks for traveling with us.
#BrinkleyRV #FifthWheel #RVLife #RVTravel #RVSafety
Chapters
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0:00 Our Wheel Is Gone
1:44 Getting the Brinkley Off the Road
6:59 The Next Morning...
10:40 Then the Sheriff Pulled Us Over
12:16 We Finally Make It to C&R
13:20 The Technician Takes a Look
17:10 What Happens From Here?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We know many of you are wondering what caused the axle/wheel failure and what happens next. Our Brinkley is still in Utah at C&R, and we are continuing to work with Brinkley as they investigate what happened and determine how the repairs will be handled. Because the axle was manufactured by CURT/Lippert, they may also be involved as the claim moves forward.
We don't want to speculate or make an update video until we actually have meaningful answers. That could take a little time, but we will make a follow-up video once we know more about what happened, what repairs are being made, and how everything is ultimately resolved.
In the meantime, we'll continue sharing some of the travel from this trip that took place before the axle failure. Thanks again for traveling along with us—and especially to those of you who are new to Retirement Life 4 Us.