2021 Winnebago Travato 59GL

[iball]

Anyone else here have one of the new 2021 Travatos with the new rear-view "mirror cam" and blind spot avoidance systems?  

I picked mine up on February 9th and immediately drove to Florida just ahead of all the polar vortex madness but it seems that from the day I picked it up the dash was telling me the blind spot avoidance system was disabled, the crosswind-assist isn't working either, and neither is the emergency obstacle breaking.  Since I was trying to outrun a major storm, we never did the walk-through of the RV itself because had we done it I'd still be in Forest City living in the RV in sub-zero temperatures.

Further research shows all these systems are managed by the Uconnect system in the factory radio however Winnebago replaced the factory radio with a new Pioneer one which can't access those functions.  From what little I could find out about those systems in the chassis manual as well as the internet, it seems that Winnebago disabled all those systems during construction and then never re-enabled them before replacing the factory Uconnect radio and now none of them are working except for the rear-view "mirror cam".

Has anyone else run into this issue?  Lichtsinn says "go to a Dodge dealer", Winnebago's customer support line just says they're all in a meeting and hangs up on me, and these things are so new there's almost nothing about them on the internet other than sales/marketing info that they exist.  I'm hoping that a dealer can possibly re-enable them through the ODB port but something tells me they're going to refer me back to Winnebago since the Uconnect radio system itself was removed.  This is all very frustrating and since this is my very first RV and I'm now living full-time in it, it's an auspicious start for the amount of cash I paid outright for the rig.

The rear-view "mirror cam" itself is awesome and I highly recommend it but I would like to get the rest of the systems I paid for actually working.

[durangodon]

Just curious, did Winnebago advertise these other systems?

[iball]

Yes, they did.  Not to mention the dash itself is giving me a message that they've been disabled. 

Just got off the phone with Winnebago Customer Support (must have been a long meeting) and they're going to talk with one of their engineers.  They state that so far it looks like a miss on their part (duh) and that a Dodge dealer might not be able to fix it since the Uconnect system was removed by them.  They're going to call me back once they figure it out.  I told them they might want to hurry in case it could be an issue with ALL of their new 2021 Promaster-based chassis models.

Looks to me like either this isn't on their pre-delivery QA/QC checklist or someone there isn't checking these systems before they're delivering them to dealers.  If so, I expect a recall notice to go out on it which isn't optimal.

 

EDIT:  Don't get me wrong, I love this thing and so far it hasn't let me down during this "shakedown cruise" of the Florida coastline but I want the crosswind assist and blind spot monitoring that they not only advertised but charged me for.  I'm sure they're going to do all they can to get those features enabled but I want to see if anyone else has seen this issue as well as to let future owners know to make sure they're working before they leave the dealer.

Edited February 18, 2021 by iball

[durangodon]

Wow, sounds like a major screwup.  What is so special about the Pioneer radio that they would remove the factory one?

[iball]

4 hours ago, durangodon said:

Wow, sounds like a major screwup.  What is so special about the Pioneer radio that they would remove the factory one?

Feature-wise, the Pioneer stomps on the factory Uconnect radio.  The Apple Carplay is pretty flawless, Sirius XM works well, Android Auto is...well, it's android auto so it's lackluster compared to Apple Carplay.  Backup cam is integrated into it and it's also hooked up to the ODBII port so it gets engine and chassis info that can be displayed as gauges.  It also integrates the factory TPM system as well as the second backup cam (there's two cams - one for the rearview mirror and one for the backup cam itself.  The backup cam is angled lower so you can see the trailer hitch as well.)

But what it does NOT do is integrate the new 2021 chassis safety features such as obstacle avoidance braking, blind spot monitoring, crosswind assist, etc.  I've got both Winnebago and Lichtsinn working on it now...or so they tell me.

Either it's a big miss on this one vehicle or it's something they didn't test for with the new chassis and thus affects all 2021 Travatos shipped out so far, in which case I expect a recall to be issued.

[ROUS]

Please keep us updated. They'll figure it out. 

[iball]

Well, I dived in and did some more research on the Maestro system that connects the Pioneer DMH-1500NEX radio to the 2021 Promaster chassis and...well, technically it's not supported by the Maestro manufacturer, iDatalink.  When I go to their website and select 2021, then Ram, all it shows is a pickup truck and not the Promaster.  If you select any other year then you can select Promaster.

When I looked to see if there was a possible firmware update for it, I did find they released a new one a few days before I picked up my Travato but it's for firmware version 2.4 of the CHR03E-DS Maestro model.  My Maestro says it's a CH03E-DS model on firmware version 2.03 which I can't find anywhere on their website much less the internet.  And it requires pulling apart the entire dash and plugging a Macbook or Windows laptop directly into the Masetro box itself.  But I don't even know if that will fix it because iDatalink isn't publishing a changelog on that firmware so I don't know what it's supposed to upgrade/fix.

Matter of fact, if you go to the Crutchfield website and plug in "2021 Ram Promaster" as your vehicle, it specifically tells you they don't recommend changing the factory radio on that model probably because all the new safety systems are dependent upon the factory Uconnect radio system.  

Looks to me like someone over at Winnebago didn't do a modicum of research nor any testing before making this change across an entire product line.  They probably thought it would just "work" like in all the older models of the Promaster chassis without once actually testing it.  They literally charged me more money for factory chassis features they intentionally disabled that I now can't enable or use.

I'm sure they'll fix it, probably by re-installing the factory Uconnect radio and somehow reimbursing me a lot of money for my time, gas, and trouble spent "beta testing" their screw-up for them.  I'm pretty livid at both Winnebago and Lichtsinn RV at this point.  Lichtsinn should have least checked everything out prior to my arrival to pick it up and noticed it right then when they turned the key and it beeped and displayed "BLIND SPOT ALERT DISABLED" right there in the dash.

Winnebago says they're having their "engineers" look into it while Lichtsinn phoned me and told me they contacted Winnebago and they were told that the one person that knows anything about it is on vacation until Monday.  Now back when I was working for Uncle Sam as a GS and went "on vacation" to Fuertaventura, I still got phone calls from work whenever they ran into a serious network issue and I picked up the phone and walked them through resolving it.  Not sure why they can't just pick up the phone and call the guy and find out just WTF happened here.

Not only that but I just noticed the toilet water connection where it goes through the plastic wall looks like a complete garbage rush job and has separated and needs to be repaired - and this thing is pretty much exactly 10 days old!

For my very first RV, I'm greatly disappointed in the entire process so far, with Winnebago in general and Lichtsinn specifically.

Edited February 19, 2021 by iball

[iball]

UPDATE:  Called Winnebago support back again today and after having to call back again because their phone system glitched and dumped my call, they say they're having a meeting at 2pm CST today to discuss the fix and whether it can be done at any Winnebago-approved service center or if it has to go back to the factory.

Something tells me they really, really screwed up and it's probably affected every 2021 Travato they've pushed out the door to date.  Also, if it requires an ODB-II computer, only Dodge repair facilities are going to have that and not the Winnebago service and repair centers.  This is a chassis computer issue and not a coach issue.

And if it can only be repaired at the factory, how are they going to reimburse me for any expenses I incur driving this thing all the way back to Winnebago's factory in frozen Iowa?  I'm living out of this thing now.

Are there any other 2021 Travato owners out there that have working blind spot and crosswind assistance systems?

[LindaH]

16 minutes ago, iball said:

Are there any other 2021 Travato owners out there that have working blind spot and crosswind assistance systems?

You might try posting over on the Winnie Owners Forum to see if anyone has run into this problem.

[iball]

23 minutes ago, LindaH said:

You might try posting over on the Winnie Owners Forum to see if anyone has run into this problem.

Thanks!  I just posted over there.  I searched through their forums but didn't see anything about it.  Not sure too many 2021 Travato L models with the new Pioneer radios have gone out the door just yet.

Edited February 25, 2021 by iball

[iball]

UPDATE:  Called Winnebago back again on Friday, this time they told me they were still looking for a fix.  I told them I was absolutely livid at their lack of QA/QC on their assembly lines and that I will be calling them on a daily basis until they fix their product.  I was called back about 15 minutes after that call by someone else at Winnebago who told me they want to "try" having me go to an iDatalink Maestro dealer and have them update the Maestro with a new firmware that came out the week I picked up my Travato.  I'm due to let them know when I'm back in Ocala, Florida next week so they can contact the closest Maestro dealer to have them perform the firmware update.

I've scoured the Maestro website but cannot find the exact model that was installed in my Travato anywhere on their website.

Severe crosswinds beta the crap out of me all day Friday so having that crosswind assist would have been beneficial.

Add to all that, the title paperwork from Lichtsinn still hasn't come in yet and that's another phone call on Monday.

[kmessinger]

So what happened? Inquiring minds are dying to know the outcome!

[iball]

Having reflashed the Maestro unit myself with the latest firmware, problem still exists.  There is no firmware update for the radio.

Being thoroughly angered now, I informed WInnebago support that yes they will be phoning me daily with a current status update of how they plan to resolve this.

So far they've been rather diligent in calling me every afternoon with an update.  Today's update they say they will probably have to replace the *entire* Pioneer 1500NEX radio & iDatalink Maestro unit with newer hardware that actually supports everything on the 2021 Promaster chassis.  Since I'm travelling at the moment, I told them that once they have hardware in their hands and have *confirmed* it will resolve the issue with me not being able to re-enable the disabled-at-the-Winnebago-factory Blind Spot Avoidance and Crosswind Assistance features that I never asked for yet they charged me extra for then we will determine what Winnebago service center they should two-day-air ship it to for install.

Something tells me that this affects every single 2021 Winnebago Travato 59GL that has rolled off the line and that Winnebago is going to be conducting a stealth recall of all of them to fix it.

Amazing.  Winnebago installed a radio and iDatalink system in a chassis that doesn't even support it AT THE HARDWARE LEVEL and not once bothered to even test it.

I hope they've learned from this but something tells me they haven't and it's going to happen again, based upon the overall lack of attention to detail I can plainly see in their build process now.

[kmessinger]

I have watched other forums and have not found any others with this problem although I am sure there are. I have a 2022KL on order. They are changing many things in that model and that is worrisome whether they will get it right. From experience I know there will be little things to fix (although there shouldn't be) but your problem was major.

I hope you don't have to drive to far to get it working.

Thanks for the update.

Keith 

[iball]

Found a newer Maestro update and flashed it and FINALLY the Blind Spot safety feature can be access from the Pioneer radio.  Turned it on and it's working.

iDatalink has finally updated their website this week and you can now select the 2021 Promaster from the Ram vehicle selection area.

The Crosswind Assistance feature is still missing and still disabled however.

Edited March 14, 2021 by iball

[kmessinger]

Progress! Great news!

[nash17k]

👍

[iball]

UPDATE:  I found the official iDatalink Maestro online forums and posted a question there and unfortunately they do not have an ETA as to when the Crosswind Assistance feature is going to be accessible with their Maestro units.

In other words, yes WInnebago jumped the gun with the 2021 Travato models and every single one going out the door would appear to at least have the Crosswind Assistance feature completely disabled, and possibly the Blind Spot Avoidance feature as well since that requires a 9FEB21 firmware update from iDatalink to the Maestro unit connected to the chassis & Pioneer DMH-1500NEX radio in order to function. 

You know, the features they advertise it has on their website?

Needless to say, I'm rather upset at having been charged EXTRA money for these features, one of which is completely disabled and no one has any idea when/if it will ever be enabled.

"I've got a 2021 Winnebago Travato 59GL Class B RV that was built on the 2021 Promaster van chassis.
This chassis has the Blind Spot Avoidance and Crosswind Assistance features on it that are only accessible from the old uConnect factory radio it came with but Winnebago replaced with a Pioneer DMH-1500NEX radio connected to a Maestro CH03E-DS RR.
It came with 2.03 version of the firmware and I've reflashed it with the 2.05 firmware which finally gave me access to the Blind Spot Avoidance feature that I've now been able to enable however there is still no setting for the Crosswind Assistance feature so it's still disabled.
Any idea on when a future firmware that supports the Crosswind Assistance feature on the 2021 Promaster van chassis will be released?"

"At this time, we do not offer a way to support the Crosswind Assistance feature. I do know we're trying to source a vehicle to gather more data on this and some other stuff, so while I don't have an ETA, it is something being looked into for sure."

 

 

[kmessinger]

Well, that sucks. I don't have high expectations that the 2022 will function as advertised either.

They have a couple of months to solve the problem for me.

Edited March 17, 2021 by kmessinger

[iball]

Looks like it's going to have to go to a Ram dealer as the Crosswind Assistance is AUTOMATIC, cannot be disabled, is not controlled via uConnect, and has never worked in my 2021 Promaster chassis.

Watch them play the "Mommy-Daddy" game with me, saying it's Winnebago's problem and Winnebago saying it's Ram's problem.

Edited March 21, 2021 by iball

[kmessinger]

Keep us posted please. Turns out my 2022 Winnie Travato will be on a 2021 ProMaster chassis.😐

[kmessinger]

Ok, I got my 2022 Travato KL in. The blind spot alert works as I can see the warning on the mirrors. I don't what to expect if cross wind support is working. The Pioneer radio came without any manual so making everything work and setting up (like my clock) remains a mystery. One very worrisome thing is with the iDatalink Maestro piece of paper was a battery the size of a quarter - I sure don't want to tear apart the dash to replace a battery.

It would also be helpful if Winnebagp gave out a list of links for the apps that have to be installed for thing like the awning, the air conditioner etc.

[JimTrav]

Following this thread, in case there are updates. Most interested, as I am awaiting a 2022 KL due to arrive within two weeks or so. To kmessinger, did you figure out if the crosswind assist works? Or the list of links for the apps (not sure what that's about). Thanks.

[kmessinger]

Still don't know if cross wind works as I haven't  been in one.  You need to install aps for the awning and Volta. When you pick up your new rig if you ordered it with a mat, make sure the correct mat is there. I had one for a GL. Safe travels!

 

[JimTrav]

36 minutes ago, kmessinger said:

Still don't know if cross wind works as I haven't  been in one.  You need to install aps for the awning and Volta. When you pick up your new rig if you ordered it with a mat, make sure the correct mat is there. I had one for a GL. Safe travels!

 

Thanks for the heads up on the apps and the mat.