Cougar Panel stops responding

tim&lynda · 06-17-2013, 10:24 AM

We have found that teh Cougar main control panel stops working and we are unable to do things like shut off water heater, turn off porch lights...etc. Took it to dealer and they got a new circuit board from Keystone but it is still happening. I serached on google and other owners have found that recycling the power AC and battery, it clears issue at the time....thsi is not a fix. I made an inquiry with dealer and they stated they have notified Keystone and made a record. Thsi is a brand new 5th wheel, 2013 333mks.

Anyone got thier issue resolved by dealer? Keystone?

Bob Landry · 06-17-2013, 02:51 PM

Do a search. There have been at least a couple of threads about this very issue.

5mary6 · 06-18-2013, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim&lynda

We have found that teh Cougar main control panel stops working and we are unable to do things like shut off water heater, turn off porch lights...etc. Took it to dealer and they got a new circuit board from Keystone but it is still happening. I serached on google and other owners have found that recycling the power AC and battery, it clears issue at the time....thsi is not a fix. I made an inquiry with dealer and they stated they have notified Keystone and made a record. Thsi is a brand new 5th wheel, 2013 333mks.

Anyone got thier issue resolved by dealer? Keystone?

We just ran into this issue this past week. All of a sudden, we could not retract our slide. We had to use the remote control. I have read these issues before on this forum but it had not been an issue for us until this weekend. My wife is speaking witht the dealer right now on the telephone as we speak.

mountainlivin · 06-18-2013, 02:39 PM

Sorry to hear you are having trouble too. As I have mentioned in other threads, our 2014 327RES was having the same issues. I was having to reset a couple of times each day. I found it easier to pull the fuse (#5 in our panel) then replace, I got really sick of having to reset all the clocks when I killed the shore power.

That went on for about 3 weeks, now, all of the sudden, for the last three weeks, it has been trouble free!!??? As I say in my work when something starts working "It is FM" (freakin magic)

hope yours also gets FM and straightens out. My dealer is also checking, but I don't have high hopes. Sounds like this has been going on for some time.

Pawsmfpj · 06-19-2013, 04:02 AM

We have had 3 boards replaced, with a harness installed with the last board.
Our whole board goes out, and only the first row working..............waiting to get back to FL to see what the next step will be.
Every time we have a problem, I immediately call Keystone and they log our problems into our account.
This seems to be some sort of a long time issue that is going to take a while to resolve.............
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

pramey9876 · 07-01-2013, 05:55 PM

Same problem, 2013 333 MKS, the bottom two rows, then three and now the bottom 4 rows won't work. Cycling the main breaker works sometimes but this is not a fix. Keystone told me they are working with the panel manufacturer to fix the problem as it seems to be prevalent. I don't get mine replaced until November so I don't know what they intend to do.
this should be a class action suit as they just keep putting us off.

pramey9876 · 07-02-2013, 11:36 AM

Here is the reply I got from Keystone this morning about the control panel.

In regards to the control panel Keystone and the Touch Panel supplier have found a fix for the Touch Panel.

Lets hope this is true!

nano · 07-09-2013, 10:59 AM

We had a new "tested" panel installed on 6/8/13, and this past week the new one started having issues again.

mountainlivin · 07-10-2013, 06:19 PM

Just a thought regarding the issues with the Cougar Panel so many of us have, would anyone with letter writing skills be interested in writing a letter to the RV Action Line in Trailer Life Magazine? By reading all the posts, many of us have tried Keystone, our dealers, numerous panels and still no fix, and many times no response back. Don't know if it would help, but I know many of us are getting frustrated.

**JRTJH** · 07-10-2013, 06:37 PM

Mountainlivin,

If you plan to go outside Keystone to request help. it may be better to do it as an individual rather than as a collective group. RV Action Line in the past has taken action to help individuals, I can't recall any "group action" (but there may be a couple). Keystone is aware of the problem, it appears from other member's posts that they are working on a solution. Maybe not as fast as some would like, but from the posts, they are seeking a solution. It is frustrating, but from what I know of the situation, nobody has been stranded or had to leave their RV because of a panel failure. It's unreliable, but there are several interim work around solutions that others have tried with success. It appears to be an inconvenience more that a show stopper.

You may be better off contacting RV Action Line with all your information presented in a concise, chronological manner if you wish to request their intervention. If you choose to do so, good luck in your endeavor.

mountainlivin · 07-11-2013, 08:02 AM

Sorry, didn't mean to overstep my bounds. Just don't want to be out of mine for a couple of weeks and it still not be fixed. Again I apologize. Frustration is setting in.

**JRTJH** · 07-11-2013, 10:41 AM

You haven't overstepped any bounds. Nobody here "officially represents" Keystone or any equipment manufacturer. We are all "just owners and users" of Keystone products. My comments were not intended to deter you from expecting appropriate repairs for your control panel. Rather through the years, I've learned that when a "group of people" gang up on a manufacturer, that the industry usually stops working on the problem until their lawyers work things out. From their perspective, if they are going to be hauled into a court and be adjudged monetary settlements, they usually stop working on the problem until they get legal advice. There's no need to pay for a repair and then find the court orders something else. So they wait for the judgement.

Any group action by owners could easily trigger that response. I understand your frustration, but I'm certain that every other Cougar owner with the control panel has that same level of frustration. Until a fix is formulated and tested, changing out panels is, at best, a "crap shoot" way to try to repair the issue. Additionally, there's nobody who can better represent your issues than yourself. Expecting another "user of the product" to gather information, present a case and work toward resolution will leave you at their mercy if you sign onto their "case". Often, they get their issue resolved and you can easily get left out in the cold when their RV is repaired and they shake hands with Keystone and walk away leaving you with a broken panel and not even the background of what they did to get resolution.

Remember back a couple of months when the FAA grounded all the 787 Dreamliners because of battery fires? I'm sure the airlines who had planes sitting on the tarmac experienced frustration similar to yours. Being patient, working with the manufacturer and trying to find an acceptable solution got them through that problem and got the planes functional again. That's most likely what is going to get this "Cougar control panel" issue resolved.

Banging fists, yelling or threatening won't speed the process to resolution, all it will do is make you more frustrated.

Have you tried removing power from the panel to reset it? Many owners have found that works, at least for a while, before the panel malfunctions again. It is probably better to be using your RV with an "inconvenient workaround" than to leave it sitting on a dealer's lot waiting repair with no end in sight. I'd opt to keep camping and either use the remote control or reset the panel when it malfunctions. It's frustrating, that's for certain, but better to at least be enjoying the camping rather than sitting home angry over an idle RV basking in the sun behind your dealer's service department.

mountainlivin · 07-11-2013, 11:03 AM

Thanks, I am sure you are correct. Yes, I do know how to reset as I have described in my earlier posts. Between the cougar panel and the awning recall I have had to deal with, disappointment should be understood on a 2014 model rig. Both are keystones vendors and I would hope keystone is staying on them to resolve the problems. Time will tell.

byrdr1 · 07-11-2013, 12:26 PM

Mountainlivin,
dont fell bad, My son in law bought a new 2014 330bqk or whatever that number is. brought it home on Sunday opened it for the week before our trip and BAM the panel stopped on Thursday, lucky the remotes worked everything. We left that Saturday for 8 days at the coast of SC. he used the remote to open and close it. Its been at the dealership for 2 weeks now and waiting on Keystone to respond to fix it. The service manager has 3 on the repair lot for the same thing. He told them if they needed it to come and get it and use it. They are good till mid August when their next trip happens. So as a dad to my daughter& SIL this is causing me grief because its a brand new camper. They ordered it and waited for it to come to dealer. It arrived on a Friday they picked it up Saturday. and less than one week later the panel died.. it rolled off the line earlier that week.. so you can see where you all are with that electronic panel problem..
Sure do like my rocker switches..
Take care and camp on!
randy

PND · 07-11-2013, 02:43 PM

As an electrician, yet to pick up our new 358RLT, I am interested in this possible problem with our new unit. I assume this is some type of control panel with switches and relays to operate electrical equipment. Cycling a breaker implies stuck relays. Oh for a wiring diagram, it would very helpful. Does anyone have any pictures of this panel, showing the back side, anything? Is it a PC board? If we could zero into a component that causes the issue, might be able to help fix the problem. Dealers may not have experieced electrical troubleshooters.

mountainlivin · 07-16-2013, 06:04 PM

PND: Sorry for slow response to your question. The Cougar panels that are driving everyone crazy are a membrane type. There are other posts previously where a new owner requested rocker switches be installed instead of the membrane. Don't know if that answers your question or not.

countrytrikker · 07-20-2013, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainlivin

PND: Sorry for slow response to your question. The Cougar panels that are driving everyone crazy are a membrane type. There are other posts previously where a new owner requested rocker switches be installed instead of the membrane. Don't know if that answers your question or not.

I traced the problem I was having with my panel back to the battery dis-connect switch. Attached both cables at the switch on one post of the switch, by-passing the switch. Zero problems with mine since I made this discovery.

mountainlivin · 07-21-2013, 06:43 PM

Countrytrikker..So were you having constant problems with your panel?
I have problems with battery disconnect on and off. But if you are saying, that tying both legs at one terminal and bypassing disconnect fixed your problems, I am trying that next weekend. My wife is not happy at all, making payments on a brand new rig and constantly having to reset the control panel. Thanks and I will keep you posted. Is it a fix? Not at all, but if we can get by until Keystone finally comes up with something permanent, I am all for it.

PND · 07-22-2013, 11:30 AM

We pick up our new 5er this weekend. I too will be watching for this problem. Seems that putting something as finicky as a touch membrane in something that bounces, and jostls down the road since electrical connections can work loose. I do enough troubleshooting at work - don't need to do it when I'm out relaxing with a glass of wine or a beer! Keep us posted.

PND

countrytrikker · 07-23-2013, 05:40 PM

The problem with the CP has reared it's ugly head again after 1 week of normal operation. To reset the panel, I put a small plastic wire tie wrap around the #5 fuse so I could pull it out and re-install to reset. Yes, it's driving me nuts because I traded in a trouble free 5th wheel, and have had many issues with the new one. I will be letting the dealer know of this problem.

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