Dometic recalls, right and wrong…
As many people have learned, Dometic has been forced to recall something over 900,000 refrigerators for the possibility of a failing cooling unit, which might result in a fire. Norcold recently went through a recall for the same reason- the heating elements installed are just too hot, along with a possibly defective weld, which results in the coolant leaking out.
Norcold did waffle a bit, releasing a recall which simply changed the heating element to a lower wattage model, but finally stepped up to the plate and replaced all of the affected cooling units- at considerable expense.
But… Dometic- as of the latest word that I have (and I have heard nothing through “official” channels) is that the “fix” Dometic is releasing is simply a “safety” fix- a sheet metal shield which will keep the ammonia/hydrogen mixture from catching fire when and if the cooling unit leaks. This meets the letter of the law in terms of safety, but in my opinion it short changes the near 1 million customers who either regarded Dometic as a quality company, or who bout RVs from manufacturers who thought the same. This recall does nothing to actually fix what is a defect in design and construction, it simply makes it so that when your thousand dollar plus appliance fails after a few years, it will not destroy your entire RV…. oh boy… thanks for the concern, Dometic.
I’ve been an RVer since the age of 18 (mumble, mumble- some 30 years now), in the repair business for over 15 years- and Dometic certified for nearly 10, and I have always been comfortable recommending, selling and installing Dometic products. Now I am afraid, unless Dometic changes their position (which, given enough public outrage, they might), I cannot in good conscience do that any more.
The letter of the recall is available here (at safercar.gov)
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January 4th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Dometic recall…
Chris isn’t too happy about how Dometic is fixing a safety problem. See rx4rv.com » Dometic recalls, right and wrong…
The recall is for “Certain Dometic two-door refrigerators manufactured between April 1997 and May 2003” (safercar…
January 14th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I too feel that Dometic must step up to the plate and fix the defect instead of a band aid solution that keeps your RV from burning up.
February 14th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Wonder why Dometics decided to increase the wattage of the element……
Not cooling properly? That would be the only reason that I can come up with.
If so a design flaw created the need to raise the wattage, thus they are accountable for any fire damage as far as I can tell.
I think any lawyer defending a person that lost their rv to a fire would be sucessful in nailing Dometics for millions……I smell a class action lawsuit……
February 15th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I’m not really sure why the higher wattage element. To throw a wrench in to the works- I have never seen the higher wattage element spec’d in any information I have.
The last of these units that I replaced a cooling unit on was still just inside the warranty, so I got the cooling unit, but… when I replaced it, I ran through the steps that are required for the yearly maintenance to keep the warranty in force. One of these tests is heating element resistance.
The heating element measured at a bit over 360 watts (well over the 325 watt ± that the specs and label called for), so I replaced it.
Now.. the “can ‘o worms part is that these refrigerators are supposed to be checked yearly for the warranty. Given that I have never had any information about a higher wattage element being installed, I would immediately replace one which was that out of spec, and the customer who had the refrigerator that I replaced the cooling unit on had never had the service done.
So… I went ahead and replaced the cooling unit under warranty, but charged the customer for the heating element, and I still do not know what Dometic would have done if I had tried to turn in the heating element under warranty (I was afraid they would have disallowed the cooling unit).
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I had to replace my 4+yr old cooling unit in my RV .. due to leaking. They have denied reimbursement because of the recall.. Apparently, according to the recall… anything that happened prior to Aug 28th, 2005 is outside of their agreement with NHTSA.. Come to find out the REPLACEMENT cooling unit is now in the recall. So I had to pay $1300 to fix a badly engineered cooling unit and got another badly engineered cooling unit .. which Dometic will apparently PATCH .. so that WHEN this unit starts to leak .. it won’t (hopefully) catch fire… When this unit starts to leak .. guess where it will go? IN THE DUMP and it will be replaced with anything but a Dometic.. Same for my roof AC/heat pumps and anything else that is made by Dometic on my coach!
April 24th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Steve- did you get the “Pre-Notification Reimbursement Program” form sent to you? I would definitely call them again at 1-888-446-5157 and just request they send you the form- don’t ask the person on the phone if you can get reimbursed, as the phone people are not all that well trained.
Once you get the form, fill it out and send it back in- it will then get to someone who (hopefully) has a clue.
At this point, Dometic seems to be coughing up the money, though how long that will last, I don’t know, as there doesn’t seem to be an “official” policy regarding this.
–Chris
May 9th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Hi Steve, We have a 2006 Monaco Knight with 2 AC’s. They
are 1 1/2 years old. The back one works fine but the front
one trys to start and goes right back off. Is there
anything we can do or does it need service? Why would it
go bad this quick? We are traveling for 6 months and
it is getting hot. Thanks - PS: They are Dometic AC’s
Model #’s-630035.331 @ 630035.331. Serial #’s 535.35674
@ 535.35670
May 9th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Dometic also does not want to be concerned with their circuit boards which fail at a high rate. Most people replace with a “gorilla Board”.
I also will not buy Dometic!
May 20th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I purchased a Dometic fridge for my starcraft popup and installed using the vent kit supplied and the thing has never worked very good in the summer time heat either on propane or electric. I should have bought a small apartment fridge instead , but I needed one that would work without electric
June 15th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Hi, I just found the dometicrecal notice on good Sam and sure enough our refer is effected. We just bought this unit preowned and the freezer is very cold the fridge so so.I willnot take the thermometer from freezer and keekp an eye on the fridge. we are traveling and NEED the gas. I have called a service center and they are backed up over a week and we have confirmed reservations up the road. I dont have any of the symptoms listede on dometics site. what should my housband check for to see if our burner is a high wattage one, what else should we do. and how dangerous is this?mThanks for any info you can provide
June 15th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
sorry for not proof reading this.I am typing in the car. I will NOW put the thermometer in the fridge. also the unit we bought was a tracker 5th wheel with the Dometic in it.
June 17th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
We had a new Dometic fridge installed in August 2003. We have not had much luck with
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I question if there is a class action lawsuit I can join because my 2001 rm 2682 refrigerator failed in 18 months and I had to pay 300.00 to replace it in labor. Now the paperwork says that if you replaced it prior to August 28, 2005. You are just out of luck! I questioned if they were defective when it failed so soon and they were having trouble getting replacement cooling units, but of course they denied it! My new camper has a Norcold unit and I am thankful for that, I will never buy anything by Dometic again!
June 30th, 2007 at 8:27 am
I recently bought a 2001 Alfa 38.5 (40′) fifth wheel that has two Dometic refrigerators in it. They are both affected by the recall. I took it to my local RV dealership to have the “band-aid” installed on them and learned that one is leaking. However, the leak is at the bottom of the tube, below and outside of the affected recall area. I will be replacing this one at my expense. I am sincerely considering removing both units and replacing them with one residentual unit, since I do not need gas operation for my usage. As for any future rv purchases, it will be based on the RV having a refrigerator other than Dometic.
July 1st, 2007 at 12:04 am
My friends trailer just burned to the ground because of a faulty fridge - does she have any recourse?
July 6th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Tim >>>>>> Montana @ our lot. (350 miles)
Cooling quit working about a Month ago. I removed the outside vent to see if there was any apparent reason why, & the bottom of the Boiler Unit was covered with yellow residue. When we returned home to Calgary, I started a web search on what the issue might be & accidently came across a “Dometic Recall”. I typed in the appropriate #’s & low & behold…..mine was effected. On the recall list is an Authorized Dometic Service Company attached & was extremely lucky to find one in Libby MT. Lonnie with “Road Runner RV Repair” came to the rescue. He had a look @ the situation & said he would get in touch with Dometic & let me know the outcome. I heard from Lonnie this morning (July 6th), 3 day’s after the service call & has informed me that Dometic will cover the problem & have new cooling system sent out & replaced for free…..also, pay Road Runners expences to boot. Not all stories turn out as well as mine, but I wish you all luck with your recall problems & hope no one is/has been seriously injured by this.
Best Regards;
Tim
July 15th, 2007 at 1:55 am
We purchased a 2003 5th Wheel with the Dometic Fridge. The Dometic unit failed about a month ago and the band-aid fix was installed by the dealer. The unit is still leaking, doesn’t work and Dometic has refused to replace the unit as the dealer has recommended. Do I have any recourse either through the NTSB or legal means? At this point the dealer indicates that it will be in excess of $1,300 to replace the unit. Any recommendations on another type or brand of unit that will be more reliable?
Gene
July 19th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I had my Dometic go out in 04, I could afford a replacement at the time and bought a small home unit at Lowes, when it went out the service personel said it was out of warrenty. No with the recall and all I looked for a trace of yellow but I sure its been washed off. Dont know what to do now
July 31st, 2007 at 11:55 pm
I too have experienced a failure of the the burner tube in my 4yr old Dometic RM2820. The yellow substance was apparent at the base of the chimney.
Dometic is selling some poorly built equipment that commonly expires very shortly after the expiration of their warranty period.
I own a Bluebird Wanderlodge and a Prevost Country Coach 45XL. Neither will have equipment provided by Dometic.
What a piss poor company…
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
just had refride fire in my 2006 outback. the fridge didn’t fall in the recall.
Dometic has sent someone to look at it but it has stopped there. any suggestions?
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I would bet the insurance adjuster will be able to tell if the fire was caused by the same leak that is addressed by the recall.
There are other things that can catch fire back there, but if it was a leak, I would file a complaint with the Feds at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/.
To Kevin- I would go back to a service shop, they now should be able to get you a new unit no charge. A lot seems to depend on the service shop, and who you get to talk to at Dometic, as they have hired another firm to deal with a lot of this.
–Chris
August 7th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Our ‘97 Rexall Vision Motorhome burned up and we feel it
was the Dometic air conditioner. Anybody know about the
unit and was Duo - Therm a name Dometic used back then?
Pleae, we need some answers. Patti & Bill
August 8th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Patti & Bill,
Dometic has owned DuoTherm for quite a while- they certainly owned them in 1997, but…
Air conditioner fires are nearly always due to installation problems, and not design defects, and I know there have been no recalls on any of the roof a/c units.
– Chris
October 16th, 2007 at 12:17 am
It’s time for a law suit against Dometic fridge company we have been screwed as i have two replaced since 2001 both in the time frame of defectived units. in 2004 we had to buy one while on a month trip. they will not except that our leaked into the fire box.i have tried even to good sam club leter back was it failed by blockage but the yellow they don’t address.dometic has no intention of making it right with any of us
November 17th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
My 1998 Dutch Star motorhome was completely destroyed by a defective Dometic refrigerator fire. The cause was obvious according to several fire inspectors.
Dometic now tells me after one year tough luck!
They say the burden of proof is my responsibility and they will not pay for any damages .
Anyone want to split the cost of a lawsuit with me?
doyle Little
November 17th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Hi Doyle,
I would let your insurance company deal with it- make them aware of the recall.
They have lawyers on staff who can probably get the attention of Dometic with a simple letter.
– Chris
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I PURCHASED A NEW DEALER INSTALLED Dometic MODEL RM2820 IN JUNE 17, 2003. THE COOLING UNIT SPRUNG A LEAK AND EMITED A YELLOW-GREEN SUBSTANCE OVER PROPANE BURNER SHIELD AREA. THIS UNIT WAS ALWAYS LEVEL AND SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE OUT THIS FAST. THE ORIGINAL UNIT LASTED 10 YEARS.
I CALLED Dometic TO NO AVAIL. SEEM LIKE THERE IS A DEFECT IN THESE UNITS WHICH IS BEING COVERED UP.
November 23rd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
My 2006 outback brunt to ground in May 2007. Dometic sent experts out who claim fire started at fridge but couldn’t figure out why. fridge wasn’t on recall and Dometic isn’t doing anything for my loss. anyone else know someone with this problem?
I’m taking Dometic to court to recover my losses. I know it will take time but sense I won’t be traveling I’ll have plenty of time to be a thorn in their side.
I can be reached at championsiding@aol.com
January 4th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
“Edward Dobias says:
May 9th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Hi Steve, We have a 2006 Monaco Knight with 2 AC’s. They
are 1 1/2 years old. The back one works fine but the front
one trys to start and goes right back off. Is there
anything we can do or does it need service? Why would it
go bad this quick? We are traveling for 6 months and
it is getting hot. Thanks - PS: They are Dometic AC’s
Model #’s-630035.331 @ 630035.331. Serial #’s 535.35674
@ 535.35670″
We have a federal action against Monaco and Dometic and Vehicle Systems Inc. for imporper heating and cooling of the RV
February 4th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Hello,
This letter is to alarm the people with the Dometic Air Conditioners. We have a 2007 Monaco Knight and our front Dometic Air Conditioner caught on fire. The whole roof unit was totally burnt up and silently replaced by Monaco. This is a problem that Monaco and Dometic have not alarmed it’s customers about. We have also had numerous Dometic Refrigerator problems and numerous upon numerous problems with the Monaco Motorcoach in general. Anybody with similar issues or who wants to hear our full story, please feel free to contact us at: handhstudios@aol.com
February 5th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Hi Unhappy,
I have to say that this isn’t a widespread problem- with any system or appliance, problems can happen, but the design is theoretically such that a problem like this will not cause the whole rig to burn down.
I’ve only seen a single “close to catching fire” air conditioner, and that was caused by a bad connection on installation, which over heated- not by a defect in the unit itself.
– Chris
February 20th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
There is another problem with this whole mess with Ac and refridgerators. The service companies also are to blame because when they come out to repair a problem while under warrantty they just put a bandade fix on it. Then the warrantty runs out, like in my case, then Im S–T out of luck. Nice way for a company as big as Dometic to Provide customer dissatisfaction. We should all just start to boycot Dometic products in RVs. Hit them in their pockets. Pass the word Dometic APPLIANCES NO RV SALE!
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
[...] I’ve been writing about the ongoing Dometic recall in this post and this post, and today I had an unwelcome finding- working on a refrigerator I had done the recall on nearly a [...]
May 18th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I have 2 -13500 btu penguin Dometic A/C s on my 04 monaco windsor, what a piece of crap! these have been a nightmare since new, they have always overflowed on the carpet up front and the bed and carpet in the rear.It got so bad I had to go to Wakarussa the factory service center in indiana the coach is now a little over 3 years old. Both of the units failed not long ago. One unit froze-up and ruined my carpet and the rear just blew hot . Dometic would not extend any goodwill as i was out of warranty by 2 months. Shame on you Dometic. I had to either replace the units at $1300. a piece or repair them I got them both repaired for about $600. The hi pressure side of copper tubing had cracked and had to be replaced. If anyone else had a same problem please post if enough people gripe maybe the NTHS can do something like a recall???
May 21st, 2008 at 3:03 am
Well quess what folks we had a Dometic frigerator installed today.Wish I would of read this before.We brought it home today and tried it out to see if it was working and it caught fire thank God the garden hose was right there.Well after reading all your comments I’m determined to do everything in my power and the insurance and their lawyers (well i hope they will help big time)something has to be done.This is an outrage.I think what if it would of caught on fire while I was driving it home.Well Im praying we can stop this from happening to anybody us.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hi Donna,
That really would be an installation problem happening that fast- the problem with the recall takes a year at least to show up.
M Martin- again these sound like installation problems- something that Dometic has little control over.
Not that I enjoy being an apologist for Dometic, but there are enough issues to be mad at them about without blaming them for bad installations.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Hi Cris Sounds great if it was only true, but these units are “package units” and the leaks are not the fault of installation.The water could be, but not the freon leak which is the main complaint. The freon leaks are from excesive vibration within a small area and this is a wide spread problem. I just need to find enough people to bring this to surface. The companies attatude is that these are diposable qnd if they last after the 3 year warranty your lucky. When the japanese or the Koreans like LG or hitachi start to make replacements for $350 They change there attitude.Thats sad Thanks for your response Regards M Martin
June 5th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Well Chris,Martin, our rv was inspected and your theory of it being an installation problem was not correct.It looks to everybody involved (our insurance and the installers) like the eletrical of the Dometic refrig. was the problem,not the installer.So now heres another case.What will it take for this company to get busted.Hopefully not a death.Just wanted to let you know.
June 20th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
[...] my last post about the Dometic cooling unit issues, I said: This recall does nothing to actually fix what is a [...]
June 30th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
RE:M Martin says:
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm “Hi Cris Sounds great if it was only true, but these units are “package units” and the leaks are not the fault of installation.The water could be, but not the freon leak which is the main complaint.”
REPLY: My husband and I owe a 1993 trailer with a Dometic refrigerator. Saturday night our fridge started acting up. My husband opened the fridge door and was overcome with ammonia. He was unable to breathe. A trip to the hospital and numerous test later (eeg, blood work, ex-ray) fortunately he is all right. All of us were extremely lucky (including a dog and cat). If this is a problem then something should be done about it before some one gets killed. Email me at jburtnik@hotmail.com if anyone else has had this problem.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
So when does the class action law suit begin? I am surprised an RV’ing attorney hasn’t jumped all over this. I am sitting on one of these “time bombs” (RM2856, purchased in 2005) myself. The lower unit doesn’t cool well, never has, usually around 42 to 45 degrees. I guess I am lucky so far….. warm food is better than a “hot” fire. Every time I leave my RV for a day trip I wonderi if I will return to find a pile of ash and some very angry fellow campers.
Like another poster stated…. it probably won’t be long before some company (probably foreign) recognizes the need for a decent RV refrigerator and goes to the drawing board with QUALITY and RELIABILITY as a bench mark and our friends at Dometic will be wondering what happened. The market is certainly ripe for an alternative to the current units available.
I just hope that it doesn’t take a death to get the attention of the powers that be.
What say you?
Robert
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Correction to previous post… Refrigerator is Model RM 2852 not RM 2856.
Sorry about that.
Robert