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.

[timsrv]

Ha! This totally reminds me of the rant I made back in March (on page 39). Probably worth repeating. Read on.....Tim

timsrv wrote:
Yeah, this will cost them, but the real cost won't be felt until it's time for their current customers to purchase new equipment. How they handle this problem will make the difference there. Dometic is a big company and is owned by an even larger (huge) parent company. I seriously doubt they will be facing bankruptcy over the cost of this recall.

My way of thinking is they should take their lumps, do the right thing by their customers and those customers will remain loyal. If that means going out of business, then so be it. The way I see it, it's black and white. Then again, I'm old fashioned and believe in the old ways. Today it's all about covering your ass and maintaining high profit margins. The big corporations don't look at long term anymore, they're only looking at short term profits. This is what got them into trouble in the 1st place. Doesn't look like they've learned their lesson because it appears they're using the same practices to try and save their bacon. If they do go bankrupt this will be the reason for their demise. I Don't mean to step on any toes with this rant, but this is my opinion, and Dometic isn't the only one it applies to. Tim

[twigger]

69800 wrote:

Also the guy who said if you make dometic fix everything they will be bankrupt. Yes the made a mistake but it was not intentional. I would hate to lose them cause I think they make a fine product and If they were gone that would leave one manufacture and then we would be in Deeep S==t.
Mark

PS Be resposible for yourself. No one else will do it for you:)

If a manufacturer makes an unreliable, dangerous, and inferior product, then, wouldn't it be right for them to go bankrupt? The problem is there are only two large manufacturers of these RV refrigerators (Dometic & Norcold). Both have had a similar problem. Norcold did the right thing. Dometic has not. So, Norcold should win, and Dometic should go bankrupt. That's the free market. Don't worry, if Dometic goes bankrupt, some other outfit will buy up the assets and factories at pennies on the dollar and start churning out (hopefully better) refrigerators.

Dometic made a mistake. Was it intentional? incompetent? or just stupid? Dometic has been making gas absorption refrigerators for many, many years and certainly should have the experience and engineering expertise to avoid a problem such as this. Dometic has no excuse. Dometic needs to be held responsible for their mistakes just like you or I are responsible for our mistakes.

I took responsibility for myself and fixed the problem that Dometic stuck me with. The refer wasn't even 3 years old. It has no moving parts. It SHOULD have lasted practically forever. The typical low end standard refrigerator I had in my house (with moving parts) lasted me 25 years and was still working fine when I sold it.

Don't let Dometic off the hook. They need to feel some pain in the pocketbook. This is the only way they (or any large corporation)can be taught a lesson. It's their bottom line. It's the only thing they understand.

I'm sure TimsRV does competent quality work and takes responsibility for it if he makes a mistake. But he's an individual small businessman. He's not a huge conglomerate corporation that has been in business for generations. But, IF the quality of Tim's work were to deteriorate over time, I'm sure he would not be surprised if he lost business.

[timsrv]

Unfortunately being nice doesn't usually get you too far with manufacturers. Sometimes threats and phrases like "class action" will get you the attention you need. Personally, I don't like these games and don't have the "pit bull" instinct, but I married someone that does. Whenever I find myself running into these kind of brick walls, I just turn her loose :B . She is usually talking to a high ranking rep within a few hrs and the issue typically gets resolved in a fair and equitable manner. Good luck. Tim

[crankyblond]

I too am having issues getting a refund for $750 to replace the cooling unit before the recall notice came out. They want more proof... What kind of description do I need to give them? I sent a copy of the work order / invoice with my form. Can anyone help me out? Thanks

[69800]

Out of all of this I would like to say THANK :YOU to every one for your time and thought process on this subject. If you read everything in these posts you will know everything you could ever want to know about your refer. Special thanks to Moderator MELM. ... Timsrv for great knowledge base and I really liked Willey B for thinking outside the box.
Also the guy who said if you make dometic fix everything they will be bankrupt. Yes the made a mistake but it was not intentional. I would hate to lose them cause I think they make a fine product and If they were gone that would leave one manufacture and then we would be in Deeep S==t. I love tech thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If this had not happened I would not really know how my refer work. NOw I do.
Mark

PS Be resposible for yourself. No one else will do it for you:)

[timsrv]

Your refer was made in May of 2004. It is not on the recall. Tim

[69800]

I was told by local dealer mine was on list but now that I actually look for myself I do not think it is

[69800]

yes tim 2.7 amps
model rm2652
product number 921 14 41-01
ser 419 05187

[timsrv]

69800 wrote:

My amps were 4.7 and resistance was 44.9 ohms so I am sure I am good.

:h 44.9 ohms is good but 4.7 amps? I assume you meant 2.7 amps, right?

[69800]

Oh one more thing. What makes anyone think Dometic is going to buy me a new trailer if it burns. I would rather take responsability for my self and prevent the problem. My heater element is really safe now seeing how they are not going to bullet proof the piping.
No gas while sleeping..... Might even put a battery powered heat alarm in the refer compartment.
mark

[69800]

Tim
I do not have the numbers with me but I will get them tomorrow.
My Nomad if I remember was built in late 04. Its possible they put an 03 refer in it. I think they just wanted to make sure and cover a wide spectrum of refers just in case. non the less since the cracked weld is possible I just figued I would use the transformer and keep the heat down a bit for longgevity. It might make my refer last for ever and I can always cool it down a couple days before I use it. My amps were 4.7 and resistance was 44.9 ohms so I am sure I am good. I do not wish to have them add a bunch of sensors subject to fail. and I will get more insurance. No gas at nite.
Mark

[twigger]

timsrv wrote:

twigger wrote:
Dometic has clearly tried to guide blame in the direction of wattage of the electric heating element, when the ACTUAL CAUSE OF FAILURE LIES IN DOMETIC'S WELDING METALLURGY AND WELDING PROCESS CONTROL.

Only problem is that the rebuilt cooling unit is another Dometic, so some other weld will probably fail in a year or two.

Bottom Line: DOMETIC HAS A MATERIALS, WORKMANSHIP AND PROCESS QUALITY CONTROL PROBLEM, BUT SHAMEFULLY WON'T FESS UP TO IT AND DO THE RIGHT THING.

I have suspected this same thing, but have no proof. I personally think it's caused by a combination of cheap grade metal and not enough of it in the important places. The thing that has always bugged me about Dometic's statement to the NHTSA is: how can 29 watts make that much difference? Even 354 watts is admittedly within Dometic's own acceptable range of +/- 10% variance. I am now constantly seeing boiler failures on Dometic refers. 10 years ago this was a rare occurrence. I just replaced one last week that was not part of the recall (it was made a year before the recalled refers). Last month I saw the same thing on an RM2510. There are many more examples I see of this on a regular basis. It's becoming common place. Up until 2 years ago, when I sold a refer, chances were I'd not have to warranty it. Out of the last 10 refers I've sold, 3 have come back with failed cooling cores & 1 was bad out of the crate! At least Dometic gave that guy a new refer. As for my trouble to install, Dometic was generous enough to pay me a total of $60 (driving up to his remote location to install, repacking, shipping, and completing the paperwork was on me). Okay I'll stop, sorry for the rant :(.

My thoughts on rebuilt cooling cores: I quit using those about 3 years ago. I had used them for years and never had a problem. Then around 2004, about half of them I had recently installed started failing.

10 years ago installing a rebuilt core made sense because the end cost to the customer was about $500. At that time replacing the refer cost around $1,000. Failure rates on rebuilt cores were low, so this was fine. Now with inflation, higher shipping costs, and higher cost of doing business, end cost to customer is roughly $850 for rebuilding vs about $1,300 for a new refer. I guess a $450 savings is hard to pass up, but I trust rebuilt cores less than new refers, so over the long run, I think going with rebuilt will likely cost you more (except maybe for guys like twigger that have the skills and motivation to do their own).

When purchasing a new refer, at least you get a 3 year warranty. Most rebuilt cores only come with a very limited 1 year warranty. To get labor and shipping covered, the failure must occur within the 1st 30 days, and most remanufacturers only offer a maximum $50 labor allowance (actual labor is about 5 times that). At least Norcold and Dometic have motivation to make your refer last 3 years ;). Tim

Yes, I am a diehard do-it-yourselfer and was able to save a fair sum by replacing my cooling unit myself. And I agree that for most people the rebuilt/DIY route may not be feasible or economical "over the long run". It's a risk. But having done this repair once now, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, if necessary. And deprive Dometic of at least one sale of a new refrigerator.

I am a retired mechanical engineer with experience in metallurgy, failure analysis of metal parts and weld failures. I'm fairly certain that Dometic's engineers (probably under pressure from upper management bean counters), or possibly just incompetence, have used improper steel alloys and/or weld metals or failed to specify proper heat treatment. The weld metal has to be right for the steel tubing being welded. Pre-heating of the weld area and heat application after welding are often required to relieve induced stresses to prevent cracking. Hydrogen embrittlement can also cause cracking depending on the alloys used.

SO, I WOULD CHALLENGE DOMETIC TO MAKE PUBLIC THE EXACT METAL ALLOYS AND WELDING PROCESS SPECIFICATIONS THEY USED. They would consider this to be "proprietary information" and not want to disclose it. But proper welding with proper materials really does not qualify as a high tech "trade secret". The only thing Dometic stands to lose is the respect of its customers - - - Oh, and also a lot of money due to lost sales of their shoddy product.

[winstonindy]

Anyone having issues with getting reimbursed for pre-notification repairs? I am into my Dometic for around $950 and they are giving me a hassle about documentaion. The real kicker is I SELL RV's for a living. I diagnosed my unit failure myself, ordered a new cooling unit, and had a service dept. do the swap out. Nobody at Dometic seems to want to give me an answer on getting my $$ back. Very frustrating!

[CrossCountryNom]

timsrv wrote:
Okay, at the risk os sounding petty...

Not petty at all. I can't remember where exactly in this long thread here, but there are some people with RVs affected after 2004.

Case in point. We purchased our mh in June of 2003, but it's an 2004 model year. Model years on these RVs are all over the place. There doesn't seem to be an set rules for defining a model year. Just whatever the manufacture says...

[timsrv]

Okay, at the risk os sounding petty, I'll try to explain. The very earliest his coach could have been built is June or July of 04, the latest the refer could have been built (and still been included in the recall) is May of 03. Knowing how fast they build and ship these out, it seems a little odd for his refer to be sitting around for over a year before Skyline used it. I know it can happen, and on occasion I'm sure it does, but to me, it just seems a little odd. I bet there are a whole lot of 2004 RVs affected, but wouldn't expect too many 2005s to be included. That's why I asked the model and SN.

Thanks for pointing out the page skipping feature, I've always hated navigating these long threads. Having this info will be very helpful in the future :B. Tim