Norcold equipment query EQ10010
Norcold Refrigerator Fires. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this equipment query about the recreational vehicle/trailer. Opened Dec 14, 2010, closed Jan 9, 2012 after 13 months. It led to safety recall 11V022000, 11V052000, 11V056000, 11V065000, 11V069000, 11V073000, 11V074000, 11V075000, 11V080000, 11V083000, 11V085000, 11V087000, 11V103000, 11V138000, 11V140000, 11V152000, 11V171000, 11V231000, 11V233000, 11V235000, 11V269000, 11V449000, 11V484000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn October 7, 2010 Norcold, Inc. (Norcold) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain 1200 series refrigerators, manufactured between January 1, 2003, and October 6, 2010, contain a safety related defect. Norcold stated that certain refrigerators contain either a sensing algorithm or a thermal switch to interrupt power to the refrigerator when it detects high temperatures that could lead to a fire. Norcold intends to install a thermocouple to improve the response time of this high temperature detection and further reduce the possibility of fire within these units. Should a fire occur within a refrigerator installed into a recreational vehicle, both personal injury and property damage are possible. This issue was assigned recall number 10E-049. On December 14, 2010, the Recall Management Division (RMD) mailed an information request (IR) letter to Norcold requesting a list of customers who purchased the same or similar defective refrigerators. Norcold responded to RMD's IR letter on December 21, 2010, with a list of companies that were further sold this equipment. On January 3, 2011, RMD mailed IR letters to 55 companies from Norcold's customer list known to manufacture vehicles or alter new vehicles. On August 8, 2011, RMD mailed another IR to 6 companies that did not respond to the first request for information. In total, 39 companies filed responses with RMD. Of those companies that responded, 23 filed Defect Reports with NHTSA and conducted safety recalls for their affected vehicles.12 companies responded that they did not install the defective refrigerators into new motor vehicles. One company, Gulfstream Coach Inc., filed their Part 573 Report prior to the opening of this EQ. Three companies, Country Coach Corp., Trail Lite, and H&H Trailer Company, responded that their companies were previously liquidated and their new companies did have the needed records to conduct safety recalls. Of the IR letters mailed, 12 letters were undeliverable due to companies now out of business. Four companies, Elite Trailer, Inc., Mathees Enterprises, Nashville Coach, Inc., and Rexhall Industries did not file a written response with RMD despite being contacted multiple times. RMD will refer this matter to the Office of the Chief Counsel (NCC) for further enforcement activity as appropriate. The following companies submitted the appropriate Part 573 Report for their affected vehicles:ALUMINUM TRAILER COMPANY (11V-233) COACHMEN RV COMPANY, LLC (11V-065) DYNAMAX CORPORATION(11V-069) FLEETWOOD RV, INC.(11V-074) FOREST RIVER, INC.(11V-152) GEOMARC, INC.,(11V-231) HAULMARK MOTOR COACH(11V-269) KING OF THE ROAD(11V-085) KZRV, L.P.(11V-022) MARATHON HOMES CORP.(11V-080) NEW HORIZONS RV CORPORATION(11V-140) NEWMAR CORPORATION(11V-235) NRC MODIFICATIONS, INC.(11V-073) SHOWHAULER TRUCKS INC.(11V-103) SIERRA CUSTOM INTERIORS(11V-171) SPACE CRAFT MFG. INC.(11V-052) SUPERIOR COACH INTERIORS, INC.(11V-449) T&E ENTERPRISES(11V-075) TECHWORKS INC.(11V-484) TRAIL BOSS CONVERSIONS, INC.(11V-083) TRAVEL UNITS INC.(11V-056) TRIPLE E RECREATIONAL VEHICLES(11V-138) UNITED SPECIALTIES INC.(11V-087)A summary of IR responses can be found attached with this closing resume. This EQ is closed.
A Equipment Query is a query about a piece of equipment — a component, a tire, a child seat — rather than a whole vehicle. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themNHTSA filed this action against Norcold Inc. without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs EQ10010 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 11V022000, 11V052000, 11V056000, 11V065000, 11V069000, 11V073000, 11V074000, 11V075000, 11V080000, 11V083000, 11V085000, 11V087000, 11V103000, 11V138000, 11V140000, 11V152000, 11V171000, 11V231000, 11V233000, 11V235000, 11V269000, 11V449000, 11V484000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is EQ10010 still open?
No. It closed on Jan 9, 2012 and led to recall 11V022000, 11V052000, 11V056000, 11V065000, 11V069000, 11V073000, 11V074000, 11V075000, 11V080000, 11V083000, 11V085000, 11V087000, 11V103000, 11V138000, 11V140000, 11V152000, 11V171000, 11V231000, 11V233000, 11V235000, 11V269000, 11V449000, 11V484000.
Which vehicles does EQ10010 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Norcold Inc. without naming a model year.