55 Comments on Dometic Recall- the Saga Continues…

ssnyder on Fri, 20th Jun 2008 2:20 pm


why did dometic stop doing recalls on refers

Chris on Fri, 20th Jun 2008 2:38 pm


They still are doing the recalls, though some shops are not doing them.
Dometic has changed their websites around a bit- the recall website is now http://www2.dometicusa.com/recall.php

claude (electricien) on Sat, 25th Jul 2009 8:15 pm


i am french guy from quebec/canada , i dont have problem with my frig yet (2001) but i took my heater resitance and ad a reading of 38.2 ohm and y took off a peace off burn materiel big as a bean that was attached to the heat sensor over the burner??? i have a appointement on friday for the recall ( fire sheald and temp. cut out) , but i would like do something more. if it only to put less heat on the boiler i will trye to do so ! (thanks and hope you onderstand)

mike b on Mon, 28th Jul 2008 4:37 pm


Dometic sucks! The recall will only band-aid the problem and keep the problem from burning down the RV. They will not fix the problem they caused and replace the failed cooling units. I will never purchase a Dometic product again!!!!

Ed Jennings on Tue, 12th Aug 2008 2:33 pm


Three certified fire inspectors just left my home after investigating a fire that started in the Dometic refregirator in my Cougar travel trailer. I had the recall repair done on this unit in November, 2007 and it still caught fire sitting in my back yard !!!

The repair done on the recall was to add a piece of sheet metal heat shield between the LP gas burner and the skin of the RV, because someone thought that when the burner was on it could overheat the outer skin of the RV and cause a fire.

The actual cause of the fire was a leak in the ammonia piping. Under certain conditions anhydrous ammonia vapor can become flammable if it is in a 15 to 28 % concentration. This leak was in the area where the sleeve containing the 120 volt heating element which is welded to the chimney area of the ammonia tubing. Anhydrous ammonia is very corrosive to most metals and manafacturers use a low carbon steel and since the ammonia is mixed with water they add a chemical to the water to prevent corrosion in the steel tubing. This is evindenced by yellow deposits left after the ammonia / water mixture has leaked out.

Without doing further metalurgical testing it looks like dissimilar metals were welded together which combined with the vibrations from towing an RV eventually caused the leak. As long as the refregerator is only powered by 120 volts the only risk is enough ammonia is lost to affect the cooling capicaty of the refregerator.

In summary, don’t be fooled by thinking just because the recall repair was done on your Dometic refregerator there is no longer a fire hazard, the true root cause of the fires has not yet been addressed.

Chris on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 5:15 pm


Ed,
I would definitely file a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is specifically what the recall was designed to prevent, with the sheet metal and thermal fuses, which are designed to shut the refrigerator off in case of a fire.

Ken Bierman on Sat, 15th Nov 2008 7:03 pm


What is Dometic going to do about my frig. that doesn’t work any more. Had 1st recall done already.

Lynn Williams on Fri, 20th Feb 2009 10:01 pm


We have a Dometic RM 2652 unit in our 2004 Fleetwood Wilderness trailer, as many others do. Our unit went out while it was at the RV dealers having the recall make-shift fire hazzard sheet metal placed around the burner. Called Dometic about about our problem, (their defect) stress cracking around the thermal coupling welded to the units boiler. Come to find out this has been taking place since around 1999. They have around 900,000 units with this possible defect. Bottom line; Dometic told us that this was our problem, not theirs. Heard Norcold is replacing their frig if they fail due to this. Hope Dometic doesn’t get any bail out money; maybe with their poor quaility product they will just go out of business.
Not Happy in FL.

David Force on Sat, 21st Mar 2009 12:12 pm


Maybe the people that have the recall refrigerators should not replace them with a Dometic cooling unit. Check out the brand-new cooling units for Dometic or Norcold that are built by the Amish. The Amish build them to last. They build both brand-new and remanufactured cooling units.

Jeffrey Jones on Thu, 9th Apr 2009 12:57 am


Seeing that the Dometic Company is not going to replace these cooling unit at their cost, then the consumer will have to be burdened with the cost. This will make the Dometic Corp. loads of money. Sounds like a win win for the Dometic company and a loose loose situation for the consumer. I wonder if theres someone getting paid to allow Dometic to get away with this sheetmetal fix for a recall. We need a class action lawsuit, this is not acceptable. We should not have to buy a defective unit and then turn around and rreward the manufacture by buying part for 900,000 refrigerators at an average of $700.00 a part. This adds up to $630,000,000.00 dollars. Sounds like the manufacture has a good incentive not to pay for the defective cooling units. Just a thought!!

Rene Thompson on Mon, 20th Apr 2009 1:23 pm


I had the exact same problem, lost the amonia. Got it fixed under the recall. Got 3 month of use out of it, then it leaked off again. I called Dometic, they said that there wasn’t anything else they could do. I THINK IT’S TIME FOR A CLASS ACTION SUITE.

Jason Scott on Mon, 27th Apr 2009 11:02 pm


Same story here, our Dometic has died over the winter, its in our 2004 model Rockwood 2605.Luckily it leaked while on 110, not on gas…
Never notified of the recall, just happened to find it after online research to find a solution to fixing it. Local dealer told me the recall repair will not replace the bad cooling unit. Of course the warranty has expired!

Thinking of replacing it myself with one of those amish built units, they are selling them on Ebay. I totally agree with the class action lawsuit, our families health and lifes were in jeopardy each time we camped using the gas power.

Pete Thomes on Thu, 14th May 2009 6:19 pm


I just am getting my feet wet on this. I called in to order the recall work and Dometic told me to call around and get 3 bids – they would go with the lowest. The first guy I called said it is truly a farse! The kit is barely a band aid fix – enough to let the occupants escape the camper in the event of a fire. He’s ordered replacement cooling units and Dometic advised him to install the recall kit on the replacements! So they are still selling the defective units. He also said he wouldn’t install the kit without me signing a liability release. Sweet. Sounds like we’ll be running it on electric only, until this is resolved. My next call will be to the dealer from whom we purchased the camper. He may tell me tough bananas but it will be the last thing I buy from them. Class action lawsuit? If it didn’t feed the attorneys and actually fixes my fridge I’d do it in a heart beat. Sounds like we may end up with an expensive, on-board cooler!

STEVE CROW on Wed, 10th Jun 2009 9:47 pm


YOUR NOT HAVING ANY FUN! MY REFRIDGERATOR (DOMETIC 2852) QUIT WORKING ON THE WAY HOME FROM MICHIGAN TO OHIO. AFTER CHECKING FUSES AND BREAKERS I TRIED TO TURN IT ON AGAIN. I GOT IGNITION TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS PROPANE. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THE FLAME WAS COMING OUT FROM BETWEEN THE BURNER AND FLEW! KNOWING SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT, I TURNED OFF THE FRIDGE. IT DIDN’T SEEM TO STOP BURNING, SO I TURNED OFF THE PROPANE TANK. IT STILL WAS BURNING! AFTER ALMOST PASSING OUT, FROM WHAT SEEMED TO BE VERY FAINT FUMES, I REALIZED IT WAS AMONIA BURNING. SO IT WON’T STOP UNTIL ALL THE AMONIA IS BURNED OFF OR I HAVE A MELT DOWN. SO I PUT IT OUT WITH MY FIRE EXTINGUISHER. NOW I HAVE TO BUY A NEW COOLING UNIT THAT IS NOT COVERED BY DOMETIC!!! THEY WILL GIVE ME THE SHEILD IF I TAKE IT TO A DEALER AFTER I INSTALL THE NEW COOLING UNIT. I CAN’T INSTALL IT WHILE I’M INSTALLING THE COOLING UNIT BECAUSE I’M NOT CERTIFIED! WHAT IS DOMETIC CERTIFIED TO DO? MAKE JUNK, SELL IT TO YOU, AND LEAVE YOU TO DIE !!!

james on Tue, 7th Jul 2009 7:35 pm


hi there im james i actually rebuild cooling units… Dometic does nt honor the recall no more and the fire shield is a JOKE because that does not fix problems and when you have so much pressure in a unit that little shield will not help when the boiler cracks. Keep in mind fire hazard is only in affect when running off gas when running on electric should never catch fire… The problem is not the tubing Tubing is good there is a design flaw in the unit which doesnt allow enough ammnia to get to the boiler to cool it down so it crackssss we have had that design problem fixed about 5 years now and even had dometic come to our shop to see how we fixed it…. Well just thought i wuld share a little everybody and we correct the design problem for not much mney if the unit is sent into us… Thanks

John Canaris on Wed, 15th Jul 2009 9:12 pm


I had the recall “quick fix” performed last fall. This last weekend, while I was away from my 2005 Airstream trailer, the boiler tube cracked. There was no fire, but I still have to replace my refrigeration unit with the same defective garbage. I’m glad to have a 5 year extended service policy, but next time I probably won’t be so lucky and definitely will be looking for an other manufacturer. My EASY CARE (Ford) insurance company ought to be upset . There must be many claims other than mine, although Ford can certainly empathize with Dometic’s recall conundrum. The class action lawsuit question is a good one. We should all look in to it, and post our findings on rx4rv.com as well as all other appropriate sites.

Chris on Sun, 26th Jul 2009 7:15 am


Hello Claude,
If it were mine, I would be tempted to replace the heating element with a new one- as long as the new element measured 43 ohms or more.
The stuff on the electrode is usually from the burner being a bit dirty and not burning correctly. Blowing out the burner with compressed air will usually fix this.

Bill on Thu, 6th Aug 2009 1:55 am


I have a 5 yr old RM3663 that has not failed yet; but my unit is “affected” according to the Dometic recall site. Their solution offered as the “extended warranty” patch has not prevented continued failures as noted by several owners. With the ensuing RV fires this is not just ruining vacations anymore, but a property and even life-threatening situation. It seems I must choose between living with the risk or losing the $1000 investment and buy a new (and hopefully not defective) fridge.

I was interested in what James had to say on July 7 with regard to the Dometic design flaw that causes the boiler to overheat in the first place. This is not new technology here, and I expect there are such experienced people with the answers. The Amish have proven ways to build these cooling units so they will last for 50 years. It makes sense to me that there is a practical ‘reason for’ and ‘solution to’ this defect.

Big companies seem to lose their way facing challenges like this. They would rather take the low road and make a stand against their customers than find a practical way to fix the problem. If indeed James can fix these units properly and practically; Dometic has the solution right there, they just have to act on it.

Following the high road might cost them more in warranty claims, although not the billions some would claim, if they find such a solution as James suggests. I hear that Dometic is moving their factory to Elkhart; just the place to find such experienced rebuilders. But they will likely continue on losing customers and reputation until they become known as a hazard like the exploding Ford Pinto of the ’70’s. Or perhaps someone will die in an RV fire and the issue will go public.

Anyway, I digress. Back to reality! Perhaps James would be willing to expand on his explanation and what is involved to properly fix these cooling units. I expect that since I live in Edmonton, Canada, shipping my unit that far would not be practical. Oh, and I just discovered that I also have a defective lower module. Any advice?

Bill on Thu, 6th Aug 2009 3:24 pm


It appears that the Dometic company is now in transition. Here is a link to that information: http://www.bcpartners.com/bcp/news/2005/2005-07-19/

The following is a letter that I sent to them today:

BC Partners
Board of Directors for Dometic
To Whom it May Concern

I recently became aware of the transition in ownership of Dometic from Electrolux and your intention to move refrigeration manufacture to Elkhart, ID, USA. As an owner of one of your defective units myself this provides a glimmer of hope that a long-standing quality control problem will finally be dealt with.

There has been considerable discussion on the net blogs by owners of Dometic refrigerators that are defective, unreliable, and present a fire hazard. The present situation and recall have been ineffective at best.

Some of the comments from the “RX4RV.com” blog may be useful to Dometic management in resolving this fault. One comment is by a rebuilder who states that: quote “…we have had that design problem fixed about 5 years now and even had Dometic come to our shop to see how we fixed it.” My comments may also be read there. I will post a copy of this letter there as well. Link: http://rx4rv.com/archives/28

Sincerely,
Bill (from Edmonton, AB, Canada)

Vic on Mon, 17th Aug 2009 7:19 pm


I’ve been reading all the comments on the dometic cooling units. My unit (rm2652) quit two days ago. My rv dealer says a new cooling unit is $1100 and that dometic won’t replace/repair if you’re off warranty. the trailer is an 05 and I am second owner.
Question, do I pursue a replacement from Dometic or am I just wasting time? Also, do I buy a replacement Dometic cooler and maybe have the same problem again? Or should I buy one of the Amish coolers offered. Any advise would be greatly appreciated

Joe Lost on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 11:24 am


I feel the pain you all are having. I bought my Rv in 2002 to provide a temporary living space while on offsite work locations. A few days ago I got a call from the RV Park where my unit is parked, and was told my unit has burnt to the ground. I had no clue of the recall, no notices or anything. I can’t check to see the serial numbers to see if my unit was even covered everything was completely melted and/or burned. The fire Capt. Stated this was a standard fire that originated with the refrigerator (Dometic of course). The insurance company is now walking away from the claim after telling us we were 100% covered. It’s a good thing I was not sleeping at the time the trailer burned. Has anyone found a place to file a property loss claim related to this recall?

Lee Fenton on Thu, 12th Nov 2009 10:07 pm


I bought a used rv this fall had it out once over night the fridge worked till morning.I had a look and found yellow residue by the burner modle 2652 in a 05 sprinter.I phoned in to Red Deer RV in Alberta ,and made an appotment to have a look.He told me dometic said it was past 3 years from time of purchase.So I guess to late for the band aid recall, I will call there recall line in the am and see were I stand does not soud good from what I have read on the last sites I have visited.

Snag on Sat, 19th Dec 2009 2:10 pm


I guess it’s pointless for me to even try to deal with Dometic . Ours died a week ago (2003 model camper) while running on 110v . I’m leaning toward sticking a dorm refr into that space until I can afford one of those Amish replacement units .
Reading this today is the first I’ve heard about any recall , repair or bandaid for the problem . I was kind of expecting to find a dead control board , surprise surprise when I smelled ammonia !

Dee on Sun, 17th Jan 2010 8:09 am


THANK YOU NORCOLD ! Had the same problems with my refrigerator on my 2003 Gulfstream Coach, the amonia leak after recall was installed. Camping World St Augustine wanted $2,300 to fix and offered no hope on Factory Help. I contacted Norcold, they stood behind it 100% and could not have been nicer. There are still GOOD People Out There !

Barry on Wed, 21st Apr 2010 4:04 am


OK, I just purchased a 98 fleetwod with a dometic RM2652 fridge. I’ve read all the posts to this issue and I’m trying to figure out what is actually wrong with my fridge.
Hope someone can help.
Fridge works on 110ac
Fridge ignites and works for a while (sometimes 4-8hrs, sometimes only 10 mniutes) on propane.
No Amonia smell
No yellow powder.
It appears the recall fix was done by previous owner.
If you have any advise please email me at [email protected]
Thanks!!!!!

Amy on Fri, 23rd Apr 2010 11:39 am


I feel the pain you all are having. I bought my Rv in 2002 to provide a temporary living space while on offsite work locations. A few days ago I got a call from the RV Park where my unit is parked, and was told my unit has burnt to the ground. I had no clue of the recall, no notices or anything. I can’t check to see the serial numbers to see if my unit was even covered everything was completely melted and/or burned. The fire Capt. Stated this was a standard fire that originated with the refrigerator (Dometic of course). The insurance company is now walking away from the claim after telling us we were 100% covered. It’s a good thing I was not sleeping at the time the trailer burned. Has anyone found a place to file a property loss claim related to this recall?

Robin on Sun, 25th Apr 2010 4:45 am


It appears that the Dometic company is now in transition. Here is a link to that information: http://www.bcpartners.com/bcp/news/2005/2005-07-19/

The following is a letter that I sent to them today:

BC Partners
Board of Directors for Dometic
To Whom it May Concern

I recently became aware of the transition in ownership of Dometic from Electrolux and your intention to move refrigeration manufacture to Elkhart, ID, USA. As an owner of one of your defective units myself this provides a glimmer of hope that a long-standing quality control problem will finally be dealt with.

There has been considerable discussion on the net blogs by owners of Dometic refrigerators that are defective, unreliable, and present a fire hazard. The present situation and recall have been ineffective at best.

Some of the comments from the “RX4RV.com” blog may be useful to Dometic management in resolving this fault. One comment is by a rebuilder who states that: quote “…we have had that design problem fixed about 5 years now and even had Dometic come to our shop to see how we fixed it.” My comments may also be read there. I will post a copy of this letter there as well. Link: http://rx4rv.com/archives/28

Sincerely,
Bill (from Edmonton, AB, Canada)

Brian on Sun, 25th Apr 2010 9:41 am


Hello Claude,
If it were mine, I would be tempted to replace the heating element with a new one- as long as the new element measured 43 ohms or more.
The stuff on the electrode is usually from the burner being a bit dirty and not burning correctly. Blowing out the burner with compressed air will usually fix this.

Simon on Mon, 26th Apr 2010 4:31 am


THANK YOU NORCOLD ! Had the same problems with my refrigerator on my 2003 Gulfstream Coach, the amonia leak after recall was installed. Camping World St Augustine wanted $2,300 to fix and offered no hope on Factory Help. I contacted Norcold, they stood behind it 100% and could not have been nicer. There are still GOOD People Out There !

Matt on Mon, 26th Apr 2010 8:33 am


I bought a used rv this fall had it out once over night the fridge worked till morning.I had a look and found yellow residue by the burner modle 2652 in a 05 sprinter.I phoned in to Red Deer RV in Alberta ,and made an appotment to have a look.He told me dometic said it was past 3 years from time of purchase.So I guess to late for the band aid recall, I will call there recall line in the am and see were I stand does not soud good from what I have read on the last sites I have visited.

gary ellis on Mon, 3rd May 2010 4:11 pm


Another Dometic unhappy customer!!!
My rv. is a 2002 and I have a Dometic refrigerator that has stopped cooling. Thank GOD that I was working off electic instead of gas. What would of happen, if I was going down the highway? Fire that’s what!
I called Dometic and they said ” It’s out of warr. and they would only replace a heat shield anyway, thats if your unit is still operating. Not the cooling unit! The cooling unit is defective, thats the problem. They sold defective cooling units, so they should be required to replace them.
If there is a class action count me in, just contact me! I filed a complaint with the Feds., but I don’t think that will go far.

gary ellis on Mon, 3rd May 2010 4:29 pm


If there is not a class action with Domectic, lets start one. If there is please notify me, so I can file my complaint. With two days I know off two other people that stays at the same rv. park that have had the same problem. How many of us is there out there that needs to ban together?

Mark L on Sun, 23rd May 2010 10:31 pm


So it sounds to me that there are probably thousands of units affected by the problems everybody is pointing out. And therefore thousands of owners who are ready to file suit, and i be there are more that a few, who like me, have lost their trailer because it BURNED UP because of the problem… And, I bet there are more that a few ATTORNEY’s who have been affected by this. Come on people, If this is not class action law suit material, I don’t know what is. These people Knowingly put out a DANGEROUS product and are getting away with having done that for YEARS! I am not a web host or an attorney, but I think there needs to be a sign up sheet started and get this thing going. I lost my trailer, and I am still making payments on it. That is FU>>ED Up and I am apalled that these guys are just walking away scott free!!

Anybody else feel the same way? Lets Do something!!

Tam on Thu, 27th May 2010 4:46 am


I’m IN for a lawsuit. Unless I can find where a lawsuit has been initiated, I’m calling attorneys next week.

I have a 2002 Forest River 5th wheel that has a crack, leaked amonia and is not working.
Luckily for us, it was parked, and not running on propane at the time of the break.
I am MAD.
-Dometic failed to notify us, by way of the manufacturer or directly of this recall. We were not given the chance to stop using or have repaired.
-A manufacturer cannot legally opt a product out of a recall because the item’s warranty has expired.

I will post an update next week.

Tam

Tam on Thu, 27th May 2010 5:06 am


I apologize..it seems I was wrong…manufacturers are under no legal obligation to honor a recall on an out of warranty product. This REALLY bites.

mike on Thu, 14th Oct 2010 9:14 pm


I have a Salem 02 with the problem. Found a straight electric at Lowes that will fit into the hole the junk Dometic is in for $279.00. Will fashion securing brackets from pipe strap & trim gaps & stay angry with Dometic.

If you buy a Dometic repair or replacement I will now read a prepared written statement from Dometic to you. “CHAA CHING SUCKER!!!!!” (Plagiarized from an intelligent Political Cartoonist who was referring to the insurance/pharmaceutic industry when they heard Single Payer was dropped.)

If anyone knows of any new developments pls let me know, tx.

Thomas C Rupe on Mon, 20th Dec 2010 1:05 am


My 2003 double door Dometic refer was not on the recall list, but still failed about 2 1/2 years ago. The service guy told me over the phone to shut it off. At that time I did not know that amonia was flamable. I believe Dometic went to a cheap supplier of cooling units and that has caused the problem. I just found your site because a 5th wheel in a local RV Park burned up today and the cause was the Refer, I thought I would look to see if anything was new about Dometic. I have owned a travel trailer and 2 cab over campers and never had a problem untill I bought a new motorhome in 2003. Not sure I want to sleep in my motorhome anymore with the Refer runing.

mark on Sat, 8th Jan 2011 11:32 am


i have a 2004 wildcat 5th wheel with a dometic rm2652 frig with leaking ammonia.i had the band-aid recall years ago when there was nothing wrong with the unit.is dometic doing anything more about this problem?i bought the unit new in 2004 .any suggestions would be helpful and im somewhat mechanically inclined

James Murray on Fri, 1st Apr 2011 5:19 am


I just entered the world of problems with the Dometic 2652. I was told that I could replace the cooling unit with a rebuild one that fixes the problems of the Dometic one. Has anyone done this? The seller advertise that this is not as hard as it seems. But I am skeptical of this.

kim on Thu, 26th May 2011 1:14 am


I to am having a problem with mine 2652, just bought a 2003 springdale and the frig worked when we bought it or so I thought. Went camping last weekend and it would not work. put it in auto would not work on electric and after reading recalls didn’t attempt gas. it keeps blowing 5amp fuses and no-one can tell me why. I called Dometic and they have no answer but call a service center. So now if i want to get it looked at i have to pay for someone to come out to where my camper is on a perminant site and look at it. I also mentioned the recall to the service guy on the phone, he was shocked to hear they were even still doing the recall and was going to call Dometic and call me back. havent heard anything back. I have read you can put a regular frig in, has anyone out there done this and is it easy to do. thanks

Stanley on Tue, 10th Apr 2012 10:28 pm


I am really shocked to find Dometic treating this serious problem like an “oops.” I have an RM2852 unit and it works well but I now fear using the unit on gas. We have planned a two month trip this summer but this Dometic crummy unit has me puzzled. I am mechanically and electrically inclined and would like to make this unit safe for good. I pray for our safety, always… Any help is appreciated.

Rodney on Sun, 12th Aug 2012 12:46 pm


I purchased a 2006 Airstream with a Dometic 2662 unit in Feb. There was a slight smell of ammonia in the cabinet above the refrigerator but the dealer said the unit was working- it was running when I looked at it. I have run it with thermometers in both compartments and had the recall done. The smell went away. My concern though is that I now know from this site that I am not out of the woods on safety issues or potential problems. These things are too expensive to just toss and replace. Dometic should be ordered to at least provide replacement cost for their cheapest model offered (like GE did with their dishwashers that caught fire recall) and let the customer decide. The fact that Dometic is/was connected to Electrolux is scary. I had an Electrolux $500 canister vac that quite working less than a year out- faulty electronic board that they refused to warranty because I bought it on an end of year clearance sale!!!! I had never heard of such. I tried over and over with no success. They are a horrible company to deal with.

Nikki on Tue, 5th Feb 2013 3:22 pm


Hi all. My fridge failed 3 months ago. I found out about the recall and after reading about the fix, it looks like mine already has the flimsy little metal shield. The cost of these is ridiculously high, in my opinion, to start with, and to fix is a joke. We are in an rv park and we are one of at least 5 people who have refrigerators that don’t work. Our solution is to yank out the useless and overpriced dometics and put in a standard house fridge. We are giving up being able to operate on gas, but that’s a small inconvenience for a safe and functioning fridge. for 500 I can have a 10 cu ft fridge/ freezer, or we can spend 1000 for a replacement cooling unit installation and cross our fingers that it might work and not blow up?

RG on Sat, 10th Aug 2013 1:48 pm


Three days ago, I had my refrig (a year 2000 model) replaced after it quit working because condensor leaked. I was never notified and knew nothing about this ‘recall’ until I did some research about the new model just installed. In summery, Dometica won’t compensate the cost of new because it is long past warranty. BUMMERS! Well….we are VERY BLESSED it didn’t catch fire because we ran it on propane much of the time.

Anyway…I paid to replace. The RV dealership replaced with a DM2852 which IS NOT as nice as my last on. My previous model had manual temp control and ambient moisture control (much like the current model DM2862).

I’m not happy as the temp is not adjustable and the unit is not cooling enough. After 3 days with it only 1/3 full, the coolest temp is only 38F after sitting all night unused. During day, it’s averaging between 40F and 45F…NOT ACCEPTABLE! On propane setting it is worse!

Is there any way the manufacture preset temp can be lowered!

BTW…this unit model/serial# is on the recall list also! what a bummer! You’d think in 2013 this would not still be happening!

VERY FRUSTRATED~

Chris on Sat, 10th Aug 2013 2:49 pm


Hi RG,
If you look inside the box on the right side of the fins you will see the thermistor (temperature sensor). Slide this up for colder, down for warmer.
While the serial number is on the list- the model is not. The serial numbers are date based- the first digit is the year, second 2 digits are the week, remaining digits are the item number (Dometic has a single set of serial numbers company wide for every product).

David Woodson on Fri, 1st Nov 2013 10:49 pm


Dometic; I just found out the hard way, by almost passing out from the leaking ammonia smell, what the defective design with these refers does. Nope, Dometic won’t do a thing for me. I can pay $1100 to replace the faulty designed unit with the same faulty designed unit, or not. To me that is not cool. Hundreds of thousands of these units are designed to fail and they are very well aware of this, yet do nothing. The recourse for us unwitting consumers? None it seems. Why, knowing these are such a problem, do companies like Forrest River keep buying them to put in units? Can anyone tell me of a solution other than using it as a permanently mounted ice box? (meaning I have to put ice in it to keep it cool). Is there a way to fix the leak> any way for someone to seal it? Or a replacement part that is not defective?

LTHUONKER on Mon, 5th May 2014 6:35 pm


It sounds like Dometic is not the way and my Dometic RM 2652 needs to be replaced. We don’t drive it around, it is semi-permanently set up on our lake lot. Now, since I don’t need a two or three way …. What do I need to do to find a comparably sized refrigerator I can replace it with and plug into electricity? Since I’m not a handy-person …. I need the basics and it would help if someone could just tell me what I can put in place of it in my 2000 Salem RV… I’d be a much happier camper.

Bobby Staford on Mon, 2nd Jun 2014 9:06 pm


I have a 2005 Cougar rv and the Dometic refrigerator RM2652 quit cooling and I am at a loss of finding out what to do. They say a recall on a heat deflector is all they can fix. The rest of the cost will be on me. Any advice?

Paul Petersdorf on Mon, 16th Jun 2014 1:26 pm


I had the recall work done some years back and now my fridge is junk with the yellow powder residue all over. I thought that the recall was to repair the problem of a possible firs because of bad parts not just by putting a metal shield around the bad area to keep a most certain fire from burning the RV down. That is really fraud as far as I am concerned and the dept the approved this band aid should also be held accountable along with Dometic. A class action law suit! count me in.

Andy Young on Fri, 4th Sep 2015 9:20 pm


I have lost my trailer, deck and all my personal belongings to a fire from this fridge. Over $40,000 worth. I have contacted an attorney and will let everyone know what happens. The attorney stated early on if there is enough people affected they will help with a class action lawsuit. Contact me at 937-903-1565 if interested in joining this lawsuit.

Donna on Fri, 6th Nov 2015 10:49 pm


My mom and her Husband lost everything. Oct 11th 2015. This was all due to the refrigerator (a Dometic 2-Door) exploding and causing a massive fire. My moms husband has owned the trailer since 1996 and was never notified of any recall or possible problem with anything. It was a 1996 Holiday Rambler Executive Travel trailer.
They got out with their lives and nothing else. they are both 73 years old so this has been a big set back for them.

Chris on Sun, 8th Nov 2015 1:31 pm


Hi Donna,
Sorry to hear about your Mom’s problems. 1996 is before the defective units were built though, and when the refrigerators do fail, they do not explode, they simply fail, and sometimes overheat and catch fire.
Explosion sounds more like an LP issue. Regardless of the cause, it’s still tough.

–Chris

rich on Sat, 23rd Jan 2016 5:38 pm


Does anybody know if their new refrigerators have been fixed yet or will they encounter the same problems? I have a rm2652 in my 2005 5th wheel cougar that went bad and no longer cools but I do not want to buy the same refrigerator if the defect is still there. Thank you.

Chris on Tue, 26th Jan 2016 2:02 pm


Dometic has made changes to production that should fix this problem, but I would also install an ARP refrigerator control– I’m a huge fan, and highly recommend this add on.

JIM on Tue, 17th May 2016 5:05 am


I GOT A RECALL NOTICE REFER FAILED TO COOL.
IT IS MODEL RM-2652
PROD NUMBER 921 14 40 02KL

STOPPED WORKING AFTER A 4 DAY USE. HAD BEEN INSIDE STORAGE

Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!