Dometic expands recall !!!!!!!!

[goransons]

So if you have a 2007 build Dometic does that mean these improvements are already in place? We have a 2007 build RM2652 outside those serial ranges.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by goransons

So if you have a 2007 build Dometic does that mean these improvements are already in place? We have a 2007 build RM2652 outside those serial ranges.

Hi Scott,

I have seen the thermo disc already installed on newer units, and I would suspect that Dometic changed the design of the weld in question to improve the construction, removing the need for the additional shielding.

[markdoane]

This is more of an "product enhancement" than a recall.

That's what the gal on the phone told me when she said I would need to pay for part of the mobile service call.

I wonder what the NHTSA would say about that!

[Silvertwinkie]

Ok, I get back in from out of town and what do I find in my mailbox? A new recall letter for my fridge. It's gotta be a mistake right? I already had the first fix done last fall under the first recall letter I got last year..... A second round of fixes? Anyone? Anyone?

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

Ok, I get back in from out of town and what do I find in my mailbox? A new recall letter for my fridge. It's gotta be a mistake right? I already had the first fix done last fall under the first recall letter I got last year..... A second round of fixes? Anyone? Anyone?

Eric, I don't think they've kept track of who has had the fix done and who hasn't. The latest round of letters expands the recall list. I got one letter directly from Dometic. I got a second letter from Airstream on Monday. I had the fix done last week. You should be fine.

Jack

[lewster]

Twink,

They could send you a dozen letters, but the recall apparatus that gets installed on your refer is the same, so if you already have the recall done, you're good to go!


Scott,

If your serial # is outside the range of the new recall, you're safe!

millvalleyca,

It all depends on your serial #. I've seen 3 year old components placed in new RVs. Check the #'s to be certain

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by lewster

The auxiliary sheathing is designed to contain any flame within the area, preventing any flames from igniting anything within the area. In addition to the sheathing, a thermal fuse is added to the rear wall of the refer that will detect any excess heat (flame) and open the 12VDC connection to the control board.....effectively shutting down the unit, along with a thermo-disc mounted on the exterior of the boiler tube that is connected in series to the thermal fuse as an added layer of heat detection.

I've got a RM2662. I got out my handy dental mirror. Seeing behind the sheating is difficult but I didn't see any other changes. Should they be apparent? Here's what was done this morning:

[SafariSS]

So as i understand it, they basically install a "flash shield" so that if the bad weld joint breaks the fire is contained and the sensor shuts it down. My concern is that if this potential bad weld joint is a known issue then if it breaks, yeah there is no fire but the cost is back on the customer to replace the cooling unit which in most cases is a wash to just replace the fridge.

I always have had good experiences with Dometic (especially german made products). They really should be replacing cooling units. The real bummer is for most of us the RV is a "getaway" or time off our regular routines, if we loose a two year old refrigerator this greatly restricts your amount of fun on vacation.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

...Here's what was done this morning...

good pics bob,

they do a LOT to help folks understand what is done at recall...

but based on that 2nd photo...

your axles are bad.

cheers
2air'

[CanoeStream]

2air - Don't need a pee aitch dee to know that but I hadn't tho't of it before you mentioned it...

but my self-same bad axles cause my period key to repeat at the end of sentences too...

SafariSS - How's the rain tonight?

Originally Posted by SafariSS

So as i understand it, they basically install a "flash shield" so that if the bad weld joint breaks the fire is contained and the sensor shuts it down. My concern is that if this potential bad weld joint is a known issue then if it breaks, yeah there is no fire but the cost is back on the customer to replace the cooling unit which in most cases is a wash to just replace the fridge.

Lew? or anybody? Of the tens of thousands of RVs with these fridges installed, how many weld failures did they have? Two dozen? More?

Originally Posted by SafariSS

I always have had good experiences with Dometic (especially german made products). They really should be replacing cooling units. The real bummer is for most of us the RV is a "getaway" or time off our regular routines, if we loose a two year old refrigerator this greatly restricts your amount of fun on vacation.

This is where somebody like Fantastic Fan excels -- you know they stand behind and support their installed products!

[lewster]

You rang!

I have personally dealt with one cooling unit failure in the recall's weld area. Unfortunately for the poor customer, it happened when he had left his coach on his lot in an 'RV Resort' where he owns and had gone back to IL for the holidays and yes.....IT WAS FULL. Do you know what happens to a warm fridge that is full of food .....IN FLORIDA ..........over a 2 week period..

The up side of this little tale is that Dometic payed for his new cooling unit AND the labor to install it........even though he was out of his warranty period.

AFAIK, they have been good about replacing defective units, even when they are past their original warranty, which is 2 year parts and labor and parts only in the 3rd year.

When I was at the Dometic factory in Jan. I could not get a definitive number of failures that resulted in fires from the head guy, but I was led to believe that it was in the low double digits. Not a bad percentage for the original recall, which involved almost 1,000,000 units !!!!!

[ZoominC6]

Dodged another bullet (second recall from Dometic) with our SILVER BULLET! Whew!

[Jim Clark]

Lew, the RV dealer I contacted gave me a song and dance about how Dometic doesn’t pay even with the reference number. She stated we are only do the repair to help our customers out. I am not one of their customers as I am sure they have no clue what an Airstream is. It seems your experience with Dometic covering the calls has been good. I will combine the repair with a road trip, as it I will have to take a day off of work anyway.

The RV dealer wanted $90.00 for a service call; I have no way of knowing if this is the going rate but certainly could be. They are 10 minutes away but the attitude just put me off.

If you pass through New Orleans in the near future stop, do the repair and I will pay the service call and buy you a meal. Good service is worth the price.

Jim

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Jim Clark

Lew, the RV dealer I contacted gave me a song and dance about how Dometic doesn’t pay even with the reference number. She stated we are only do the repair to help our customers out. I am not one of their customers as I am sure they have no clue what an Airstream is. It seems your experience with Dometic covering the calls has been good. I will combine the repair with a road trip, as it I will have to take a day off of work anyway.

The RV dealer wanted $90.00 for a service call; I have no way of knowing if this is the going rate but certainly could be. They are 10 minutes away but the attitude just put me off.

If you pass through New Orleans in the near future stop, do the repair and I will pay the service call and buy you a meal. Good service is worth the price.

Jim

HI Jim,

I usually pass thru LA, but just north of you on I-12 on the return trip. This year, I'm going to be at a rally in NC, so I'll be much further north. IMHO, it seems that the dealer just doesn't want to be bothered with doing your recall.

Dometic does pay....and quickly too. They will only cover service call charges if the RV is immobile, as in tied down to a concrete pad with hurricane straps, or if it has a permanent screen cage built on to it. As long as the RV is mobile, they will not re-imburse the service calls.

I might suggest another dealer, or call Dometic directly and see who they recommend to do the recall.

[CanoeStream]

An authorized Dometic service center should do it for you. Go to http://www.dometic.com/enus/Americas...enter-Locator/ My Airstream dealer is 250 miles away and the nearest Airstream dealer is 50 miles away. I called a local SOB dealer and had this done without any questions.

A recall or warranty is supposed to be 100% even if you haven't sent back the registration card. (experiences may vary) I didn't get a recall letter and was not asked to produce it.

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by lewster

HI Jim,

I usually pass thru LA, but just north of you on I-12 on the return trip. This year, I'm going to be at a rally in NC, so I'll be much further north. IMHO, it seems that the dealer just doesn't want to be bothered with doing your recall.

Dometic does pay....and quickly too. They will only cover service call charges if the RV is immobile, as in tied down to a concrete pad with hurricane straps, or if it has a permanent screen cage built on to it. As long as the RV is mobile, they will not re-imburse the service calls.

I might suggest another dealer, or call Dometic directly and see who they recommend to do the recall.

I spoke with Dometic a few days ago the two numbers the gave me were no good. One did not do Dometic work anymore and the other was out of business. This dealer is just really bad, I will combine the work with a trip and solve the problem. If I pull the unit out I going some where than just down the street.

Lew, thanks for the reply and be careful.

[Ray Eklund]

During the middle of our third week camping in Wyoming, the wife noticed that the temperature within the refer freezer was 32 degrees, versus the near zero. I checked to see if the refer flame was operating, it was. It was unusual that the exhaust fan on the 23 foot Safari second vent door had not been running, as well. Being within a half days drive back to Denver, Colorado, we headed home. We could not eat enough food fast enough to keep the spoilage to a minimum...

Sniffing around... I noticed an ammonia odor at the camp site (Green Mountain, north of Rawlins, Wyoming about 85 miles), so knew I had a leak in the sealed system. Not a big leak, but the system was no longer sealed and temperatures were going up in the fridge. After three days the ammonia is still leaking and the local Denver Airstream dealer said it will be two weeks before we can come in to have the Dometic checked. I include two photographs of where the leak is located. The yellow discolored area is where the leak is to be found.

Is this part of the problem that has been discussed? We have had no problems with the unit operating, until recently. It is presently off and waiting to be repaired. Anything I should know other than I most likely will have to pay labor and Dometic will supply the parts needed...? Sorry for the one photo not being rotated correctly. The grey piping next to the metal support running up is the problem area.

[lewster]

Sorry Ray,

But you didn't win the 'Recall Lottery" The affected area of the recall is within the round boiler tube right above the LP burner. Yours is on the other side of the cooling unit.

Now for the good news.......your unit should still be under the Dometic 3 year warranty (and it might possibly be in the second year). You are entitled to AT LEAST a new cooling unit from Dometic and possibly installation as well. The 3rd year of their warranty is parts only......which is still a big expense.

I would call Dometic and discuss the problem. The fridge will have to come out to change the cooling unit. I usually do them right on the floor of the RV, but I don't think you will have sufficient room to do this.

Airstream rought it in thru the door, and it can be removed that way with no problem......just some care in moving it.

GOOD LUCK!

[Ray Eklund]

Thank you Lew for your additional information. One of the items on our two year warranty check list at Jackson Center, Ohio was a repair to a bracket at the bottom of the coil assembly at the bottom that attached to the fridge. It had broken and the Airstream techs fitted another to hold the coil to the body of the unit.

[TinLoaf]

I was the victim of a fire that totally destroyed my trailer. The insurance company and private investigational firm called off the investigation because "even if we determined the cause of the fire, we couldn't prove in court that the site hadn't been tampered with."

I had some suspicions; furnace, battery short or fridge. I didn't have any documentation on my model number but Dometic was kind enough to send me a "Service Contract Savings Certificate" to extend my warranty. The document contained my model number RM2862 and serial number 62303364. My fridge did fall under the recall dated April 21, 2008.

There's no way to prove the fridge started the fire, but it's the most plausible explanation so far.

Here are the the link to my original thread if you're interested:

RV.net: The Tragedy of December 1, 2007

You can find photos here.

And here's a photo of my fridge (at the bottom):