MountainTop
Active Member
We spent a little over 2 weeks in FL, traveling with friends who have just bought an r-Pod. Lots of fun paddling and biking in different parts of the state. Then we headed to their home in NC so the friend, an accomplished woodworker, could make a countertop extension for our 181. Since we were fairly close to the dealership where we bought our MPG, we decided to go that way to get some questions answered. but 50 mi. shy of our destination we had a scary end to our vacation. We were traveling west on I-40 in good weather and visibility, going about 60 mph, when the trailer started to fishtail. Just as Ronn got it behind the Pilot, a wheel went off the pavement into soft, wet dirt. We came to an abrupt stop, with the trailer leaning against a guardrail, still attached to the hitch, and the Pilot tipped on the 2 right wheels - but still in our lane. By some miracle, no semi rammed into us and no other vehicles got tangled up trying to avoid us. Neither of us was hurt even though the airbags didn't deploy.
After a long time and many emergency services arriving on the scene (all did a fabulous and very professional job of helping us and safeguarding others), the MPG headed to the dealer on a flatbed tow truck. We were able to drive the Pilot there and eventually back home to Marietta, GA. We spent the night near the dealer and the next day emptying it of all our personal items. The dealer thinks it will be totalled. A wheel and possibly the axle are damaged. There's minor damage to the fiberglass exterior and the metal molding around curved edges, but b/c they're 1 piece construction, must be totally replaced (or so we were told). The interior is also damaged from everything flying out of the storage areas. A couple of cabinet doors came off the hinges. window bunged up, paneling cracked. However, the new countertop, which was made to store under the mattress when not in use, survived!
So the car is in the shop, we're still waiting to hear about the trailer, and we have to file a 3rd claim for our damaged bikes and bike rack which were on the back of the trailer. If we can conquer our flashbacks and newbie jitters, we hope to find another MPG and resume our travels again. But finding the right model at an affordable price within a reasonable distance will be a challenge as these units become more and more scarce.
We hope none of you have a similar experience, but just in case, do your homework about how to handle a fishtail situation!
After a long time and many emergency services arriving on the scene (all did a fabulous and very professional job of helping us and safeguarding others), the MPG headed to the dealer on a flatbed tow truck. We were able to drive the Pilot there and eventually back home to Marietta, GA. We spent the night near the dealer and the next day emptying it of all our personal items. The dealer thinks it will be totalled. A wheel and possibly the axle are damaged. There's minor damage to the fiberglass exterior and the metal molding around curved edges, but b/c they're 1 piece construction, must be totally replaced (or so we were told). The interior is also damaged from everything flying out of the storage areas. A couple of cabinet doors came off the hinges. window bunged up, paneling cracked. However, the new countertop, which was made to store under the mattress when not in use, survived!
So the car is in the shop, we're still waiting to hear about the trailer, and we have to file a 3rd claim for our damaged bikes and bike rack which were on the back of the trailer. If we can conquer our flashbacks and newbie jitters, we hope to find another MPG and resume our travels again. But finding the right model at an affordable price within a reasonable distance will be a challenge as these units become more and more scarce.
We hope none of you have a similar experience, but just in case, do your homework about how to handle a fishtail situation!