Dometic Refer Recall - Possible Fire Hazard -Update 2/13/07

[MELM]

Click here to go directly to Updates.
Update Number 1 Nov 23, 2006
Update Number 2 Dec 5, 2006
Update Number 3 Jan 10, 2007
Update Number 4 Jan 19, 2007 - Recall Instructions - click here: Dometic Recall You need your model and serial numbers.
Update Number 5 Feb 13, 2007 - Added links to new info on the NHTSA website including the info/form for claiming reimbursement for a failure. These are at the end of the post below where all the updates are posted.

Also, edited the below Recall to include the change made prior to the Dec 5 update showing the proposed remedy.

Below is information from the NHTSA website on a recall of certain Dometic refrigerators. This recall is in its very early stages, and there is no resolution in place as of Nov 1, 2006.

From the NHTSA website:

Dometic Recall NHTSA Campaign ID 06E076000

Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
DOMETIC / NDR1062 9999
DOMETIC / RM2652 9999
DOMETIC / RM2662 9999
DOMETIC / RM2663 9999
DOMETIC / RM2852 9999
DOMETIC / RM2862 9999
DOMETIC / RM3662 9999
DOMETIC / RM3663 9999
DOMETIC / RM3862 9999
DOMETIC / RM3863 9999

Manufacturer : DOMETIC CORPORATION

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06E076000 Mfg's Report Date : AUG 28, 2006

Component: EQUIPMENT: RECREATIONAL VEHICLE

Potential Number Of Units Affected : 926877

Summary:
CERTAIN DOMETIC TWO-DOOR REFRIGERATORS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN APRIL 1997 AND MAY 2003: SERIAL NOS.
713XXXXX THROUGH 752XXXXX;
801XXXXX THROUGH 852XXXXX;
901XXXXX THROUGH 952XXXXX;
001XXXXX THROUGH 052XXXXX;
101XXXXX THROUGH 152XXXXX;
201XXXXX THROUGH 252XXXXX;
301XXXXX THROUGH 319XXXXX,
INSTALLED IN CERTAIN RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND SOLD AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT. A FATIGUE CRACK MAY DEVELOP IN THE BOILER TUBE WHICH MAY RELEASE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF PRESSURIZED COOLANT SOLUTION INTO AN AREA WHERE AN IGNITION SOURCE (GAS FLAME) IS PRESENT.

Consequence:
THE RELEASE OF COOLANT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS COULD IGNITE AND RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy:
THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECREATIONAL VEHICLES THAT HAD THE REFRIGERATORS INSTALLED AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND DOMETIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE AFTERMARKET REFRIGERATORS. DOMETIC WILL INSTALL A SECONDARY BURNER HOUSING FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BETWEEN APRIL AND JUNE 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOMETIC AT 888-446-5157.

Notes:
CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

The following is extracted from the notice provided by Dometic to the NHTSA dated 8/26/06:

The potential defect is associated with cooling unit at the back of the refrigeration cabinet.

A fractional percentage of the potentially affected refrigerators have experienced a fatigue crack that may develop in the boiler tube in the area of the weld between the boiler tube and the heater pocket. A fatigue crack may release a sufficient amount of pressurized coolant solution into an area where an ignition source (gas flame) is present. Dometic's investigation has shown that a simulated release of cooling solution (refrigerant) in the area of the boiler, under certain conditions, could be ignited by the presence of an open flame. A boiler fatigue crack with the loss of cooling solution without ignition would result in a non-operational refrigerator that is not a safety issue. Under certain conditions, the released coolant could ignite and result in a fire. In order to have a fire, at a minimum, all of the following conditions must exist:

1. The refrigerator must be on and normally operating and gas burner must be lit;
2. 'There must be an oversized heating element in the refrigerator;
3. The boiler tube must develop a throughway fatigue crack of a
specific size;
4. There must be a release of the cooling solution at a rate which will
allow the accumulation of the cooling solution at a concentration within its range of flammability; and
5. There must be ignition source (gas flame) present.

If any of these conditions are not present, a release of the cooling solution will not result in a fire.

In April of 1997 Dometic modified the design of the affected refrigerators by increasing the wattage of the heating element from 325 watts to 354 watts. All production of the affected units from April 1997 through May of 2003 utilized the 354 watt heating element. In May of 2003, in order to improve the operating life of the refrigerators, Dometic returned to the use of the 325 watt heating element which it continues to use today. It is now believed that the use of the higher wattage heater contributed to abnormal fatigue in the boiler tube.

The products in question are all refrigerators used in the original manufacture of recreation vehicles or as replacement equipment for recreation vehicles. The total population of refrigerators potentially containing the defect is 926,877. Dometic estimates a potential maximum incident rate of 0.01% related to boiler fatigue cracks that leak and may result in a fire. There have been no incidents of injury or death related to the affected population of Dometic refrigerators.

Dometic became aware of the occurrence of fires which may have involved their products and retained an independent engineering testing laboratory to fully evaluate and investigate any potential defect in their refrigerators which might result in a fire. A number of returned units were analyzed and microscopic fatigue cracks which could release coolant into the area of the burner were identified in the boiler tube metal in the area of the weld between the heater pocket and boiler tube. Tests simulating the cracks were conducted the week of August 18, 2006 and confirmed a possible cause of fire in the refrigerators under certain conditions. These test results prompted the preparation of this notice.

Dometic continues to gather information on the potential defect and will forward additional relevant information as it becomes available.

Dometic has not yet identified a proposed remedy for the potential defect. Dometic will continue a testing program designed to identify and evaluate possible remedies. This evaluation will take place both in the United States and in Sweden. Once a remedy has been identified, Dometic will initiate or participate in a remedy campaign initiated by the original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers who have purchased, sold, and distributed these products. A list of original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers to whom Dometic has sold the potentially defective refrigerators is being prepared and will be provided to the NHTSA upon its
completion.

The following is extracted from the NHTSA response on 9/18/06:

Please provide the following additional information and be reminded of the following requirements:

Dometic must provide an estimated dealer notification date as well as an owner notification date including the day, month, and year. You are required to submit a draft owner notification letter to this office no less than five days prior to mailing it to the customers. Also, copies of all notices, bulletins, dealer notifications, and other communications that relate to this recall, including a copy of the final owner notification letter and any subsequent owner follow-up notification letter(s), are required to be submitted to this office no later than 5 days after they are originally sent (if they are sent to more than one manufacturer, distributor, dealer, or purchaser/owner).

Dometic must file a sample of the envelope which you intend to use to mail the recall notice to owners. The words "SAFETY", "RECALL", "NOTICE" in any order must be printed on the envelope in larger font than the customers name and address.

[CrossCountryNom]

Golden_HVAC wrote:
I am glad that my refrigerator has the smaller wattage heating element, and has never had a leak.

Could someone explain how I could identify if I have the lower or higher wattage heating element?

[jmaotto]

Are any of you with the Dometic refrigerators still using them while waiting for the recall and repair?

[Golden_HVAC]

2oldman wrote:

USAFBILL wrote:
sand the area around the welded tube and mix up a pint of JB

My refer leaked two days ago but apparently not from the 'warranty' area. My leak is on the left side where the garden-hose fitting is.

I Marine-epoxied the heck out of it but, no go. That fluid just finds its way out no matter what.

I don't quite understand the higher-wattage element discussion. If that were true, why would D suggest running it on electric? Besides, mine has almost exclusively been run on gas, so there no 'higher wattage' there anyway.

Dometic does not suggest running any recall affected refrigerators on gas because the flame present is the ignition source in the event of a ammonia leak with something like 10% - 15% ammonia solution by volume of air. Dometic predicts that less than 92 units will have that large of a leak at the same time the LP gas burner is running. The electric element should not start the fire, but the LP gas burner could be an ignition source in the event of a major leak.

The pressure inside the refrigerator is something like 300 PSI, so no ammount of wonder glue will slow it from leaking until all the pressure is gone, and the repair is done with no pressure inside the tubing.

Fred.

[Golden_HVAC]

This notice was sent out to all Escapee's members. Without reading all 9 pages, I don't know if this information has already been posted.

Basically Dometic increased their 120 volt electric heat element size from 325 watts to 354 watts. This may have caused units with the larger heater to have stress cracks around the burner area. When a sudden leak occurs, AND the refrigerator is being run on LP gas, the open flame might ignite the leaking ammonia solution. So a newly designed burner cover will be installed free of charge.

Hopefully the new burner cover will take in air from outside of the RV, where it is presumed that there is not a consentration in excess of 15% ammonia - the minimum amount required to exceed flamibility. (in my humble opinion, I would rather not find out what the lower flamibility limit is). The factory installed burner cover is designed to prevent air gusts - from normal driving to blow out the flame, and also prevent superheated air from leaving the burner area (thus lowering the risk of overheating surfaces near the burner).

I am glad that my refrigerator has the smaller wattage heating element, and has never had a leak. I rarely opperate mine on 120 volts. It is noted that the safest opperation until the recall work is completed is to use the 12 volt element if you have a 3 way refrigerator and need to continue opperating the refrigerator. They also advise not to run the refrigerator at night or while in trasit.

The Escapees letter:


Club News -- Large Scale Dometic Refrigerator Recall Announced!

by Mark Nemeth



Dometic Corporation is in the process of issuing recalls for over 900,000 RV refrigerators. The problem, a potential fire hazard, affects many refrigerators manufactured between 1997 and 2003. The following is excerpted from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s website at www.nhtsa.gov.



----------------------------------------------------------

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06E076000

Manufacturer : DOMETIC CORPORATION

Component: EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE

Potential Number Of Units Affected : 926877

Models Affected : NDR1062 RM2652 RM2662 RM2663 RM2852 RM2862 RM3662 RM3663 RM3862 RM3863

Summary:

CERTAIN DOMETIC TWO-DOOR REFRIGERATORS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN APRIL 1997 AND MAY 2003: SERIAL NOS. 713XXXXX THROUGH 752XXXXX; 801XXXXX THROUGH 852XXXXX; 901XXXXX THROUGH 952XXXXX; 001XXXXX THROUGH 052XXXXX; 101XXXXX THROUGH 152XXXXX; 201XXXXX THROUGH 252XXXXX; 301XXXXX THROUGH 319XXXXX, INSTALLED IN CERTAIN RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND SOLD AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT. A FATIGUE CRACK MAY DEVELOP IN THE BOILER TUBE WHICH MAY RELEASE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF PRESSURIZED COOLANT SOLUTION INTO AN AREA WHERE AN IGNITION SOURCE (GAS FLAME) IS PRESENT.

Consequence:

THE RELEASE OF COOLANT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS COULD IGNITE AND RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy:

THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECREATIONAL VEHICLES THAT HAD THE REFRIGERATORS INSTALLED AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, AND DOMETIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE AFTERMARKET REFRIGERATORS. DOMETIC WILL INSTALL A SECONDARY BURNER HOUSING FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BETWEEN APRIL AND JUNE 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOMETIC AT 888-446-5157.

Notes:

CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

------------------------------------------------



To verify that your refrigerator is affected, you can either call Dometic at the number listed above, or visit their website for the recall at www.dometicusa.com/recall.php . Be sure to have your refrigerator’s model number and serial number ready.



The following is excerpted from Dometic’s recall information:



The information that you entered indicated that your refrigerator is affected by this voluntary recall. Please do the following:

#1 Turn the refrigerator off immediately if you notice any of the following indicators:

· Leakage or staining at the back of the refrigerator.

· Yellow residue at the back or sides of the refrigerator.

· The smell of ammonia.

· Refrigerator does not properly cool.

Any unit found to have one or more of the characteristics mentioned above MUST be shut down and not operated until the unit is fixed and the recall rework administered.

#2 For any unit that does fall within the recall population but does not exhibit any of the four indicators mentioned in #1, consider the following: Do not operate your refrigerator on LP gas. Switching to electric power lowers the incident rate associated with LP gas. If you own a 3-way refrigerator, running the unit on 12-volt power carries the least risk of all. 3-way refrigerators have model numbers that end in "3."

Dometic recommends that the unit not be operated on electric unless absolutely necessary until your unit has been serviced. If you choose to operate your unit on electric prior to the recall rework, you must inspect the burner area weekly for any of the indicators referenced in number 1 above. Dometic recommends that you turn off the gas valve at the back of your refrigerator. DO NOT, however, attempt to disconnect the gas supply. If you must operate your refrigerator on electric, DO NOT operate your refrigerator while in transit or while asleep.


The rework kit will be available in early April 2007. At that time, call your preferred service center to set up an appointment. For help in locating a service center or for the most up-to-date recall information, call 1-888-446-5157.




Fred.

[2oldman]

USAFBILL wrote:
sand the area around the welded tube and mix up a pint of JB

My refer leaked two days ago but apparently not from the 'warranty' area. My leak is on the left side where the garden-hose fitting is.

I Marine-epoxied the heck out of it but, no go. That fluid just finds its way out no matter what.

I don't quite understand the higher-wattage element discussion. If that were true, why would D suggest running it on electric? Besides, mine has almost exclusively been run on gas, so there no 'higher wattage' there anyway.

[WilleyB]

Ah! Well, running it with the higher wattage element will probably do more to shorten the timer than either running it on gas or a replacement electrical element. If microscopic damage has already occurred, there will already be a powdery buildup around the affected area, and should that be visible, immediate shut down, and then replacement of the cooling unit will be necessary.
Just a thought as to what the primary cause of the failure is. " An element that is too high in wattage" Me! well I'll be ordering my new element this week :B

Cheers

[stevenal]

No guarantee it will fail outright. You may simply shorten the timer on your bomb.

[balvert]

Good point, but I would rather the thing fail outright than act like some sort of time bomb. However unlikely Dometic says that it is likely to occur. I doubt replacing the element would stress the boiler tube anyway. For thirty bucks I will take the chance and put a proper element in it.

Casey

[stevenal]

balvert wrote:
I doubt that Dometic will get their act together before we leave on a six week vacation so I am looking at installing the 325 watt element to reduce my chances of a problem. I will still get the fix done when Dometic makes is available, or is the fix going to reduce the amount of heat actually reaching the boiler tube? In that case the lower wattage element may prevent proper cooling. Not sure what the actual fix entails as it is rather vague in the recall info. Any thoughts on my plan?

Yes I have a thought. If microscopic damage has already occured, messing with it can only make it worse.

[Irelands_child]

USAFBILL wrote:
QUOTE "As great as J-B Weld is, and I use it regularly, I wouldn't want to totally restrict any thermal expansion (movement) in a piece of tubing. If you were to restrict that movement, a failure could happen even sooner and you might void any possible Dometic warranty (if there even is a warranty!!). "
If you only covered the welded section (where I hear most failures occur) would that restrict any more then the weld does now? Mine is still under their extended warrany but I am not sure just how good that is now after all of this.

You would have to go beyond their weld to parent metal for full support - would that be restrictive - maybe, but I'm quite sure that any warranty you have would have for sure would be voided as soon as a tech saw that nice black J-B Weld. I guess that I'd not do anything with it, the chance of fire is very small, make sure that your refrigerator access compartment is well vented. I have a single 'D' battery fan that moves a very small amount of air that we use in the refrigerator that I'll move to the access compartment and will be using until Dometic decides what band-aid fix they are going to try.

If your refrigerator dies, then you invoke your extended warranty - and not spend several hundreds of dollars for a replacement.

[USAFBILL]

QUOTE "As great as J-B Weld is, and I use it regularly, I wouldn't want to totally restrict any thermal expansion (movement) in a piece of tubing. If you were to restrict that movement, a failure could happen even sooner and you might void any possible Dometic warranty (if there even is a warranty!!). "
If you only covered the welded section (where I hear most failures occur) would that restrict any more then the weld does now? Mine is still under their extended warrany but I am not sure just how good that is now after all of this.

[Irelands_child]

USAFBILL wrote:

Dusty R wrote:
Could one spread some hi-temp. epoxy on the area that ruptures?

Dusty R

Could not one sand the area around the welded tube and mix up a pint of JB and just totally encase the whole area?? Seems to me that the problem is the weld and that is the product defect that is not being addressed by Dometic....Just trying to prevent a fire on the premature failure of their product.IMO

As great as J-B Weld is, and I use it regularly, I wouldn't want to totally restrict any thermal expansion (movement) in a piece of tubing. If you were to restrict that movement, a failure could happen even sooner and you might void any possible Dometic warranty (if there even is a warranty!!).

Has anyone leaned on the NTSB, BBB or government watchdog group for better responses from Dometic? I haven't gotten any kind of a respose from reporting my reefer to Dometic as within the recall range. There must be some group that has the wherewithall to give them a figurative kick in the shins to move this along. I understand that they are going to be affected financially by this recall, but since they seem to have the major markets covered, will recover.

[USAFBILL]

Dusty R wrote:
Could one spread some hi-temp. epoxy on the area that ruptures?

Dusty R

Could not one sand the area around the welded tube and mix up a pint of JB and just totally encase the whole area?? Seems to me that the problem is the weld and that is the product defect that is not being addressed by Dometic....Just trying to prevent a fire on the premature failure of their product.IMO

[balvert]

WilleyB wrote:

balvert wrote:
I doubt that Dometic will get their act together before we leave on a six week vacation so I am looking at installing the 325 watt element to reduce my chances of a problem.

I agree and plan to do the same for the same reasons. By installing the 325 watt heater, will certainly lessen the chances of the weld or pipe cracking. The Dometic modification will definitely make the unit safer with regard to fire. Would appreciate a post when you have it completed, it's a bit too cold in these here parts for working outside.

Cheers

Won't be doing that until April and depending on the weather I may wait until we get to the South. Cccccold here too. :E

[Dusty_R]

Could one spread some hi-temp. epoxy on the area that ruptures?

Dusty R