Carefree Awning Motor Failure? Maybe, but maybe not!

Motors are the first thing that most customers replace when their awning isn't retracting fully or simply not retracting at all. Motors do fail and so this could potentially be the cause but before you go and place that order through us, there's a few simple things to check. 

1. Power. If you click the retract button and there isn't any sound coming from the motor, your issue is likely due to lack of voltage. The first thing to check is your fuse panel to make sure none of them have blown. Remember that your Carefree of Colorado awning works off of 12V DC and your battery bank is what supplies it power. Check to see what voltage reading you are getting at your house battery bank to make sure it's sufficient. If plugged into shore power you'll likely be showing something around 13.4VDC and if not, your batteries should be between 12.1VDC and 12.6VDC. A good rule of thumb is to never let your batteries drop below 12.0VDC. Letting them get depleted below 12.2 does damage to the battery and over time they'll lose the ability to hold a good charge. 

2. If your batteries are reading fine, you should now check for loose or corroded battery connections getting to your Carefree motor. If you're seeing corrosion, get a soft wire brush to clean up connections and recrimp new terminals if necessary.

3. If you're hearing your motor make a clicking sound but it's not retracting, you may have a stripped motor screw. If this has happened to you, you can try to manually close the awning with a drill while you wait for your new part.

4. If you've noticed that it stopped working after a heavy rainfall or a strong wind day, then this could be caused by warped fabric. We have a good article to walk you through this as well.

5. The other thing that could cause your Carefree awning to struggle opening or retracting is a damaged Carefree awning arm. Sometimes one side of the awning will retract quicker than the other which causes it to bind and stretch.

If you've gone through these steps and seems clear your motor has failed, don't worry. They're easy to replace and we have them all! Shop Carefree motors here!