- Vehicles
- 1,547
- Built between
- May 2001 – Mar 2003
- Models
- 11
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 31 August 2009
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 2001 and March 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2001-2003 Itasca HorizonBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2003 Itasca SuncruiserBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2001-2003 Itasca SunflyerBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2002-2003 Itasca SunriseBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2001, 2003 Winnebago AdventurerBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2002-2003 Winnebago BraveBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2001-2003 Winnebago ChieftainBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2001-2003 Winnebago JourneyBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2002-2003 Winnebago Journey DLBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2002-2003 Winnebago Ultimate AdvantageBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
- 2002-2003 Winnebago Ultimate FreedomBuilt May 2001 to March 2003
What the defect is
Winnebago is recalling 1,547 model year 2001-2003 recreational vehicles equipped with norcold model 1200LRIM refrigerators, manufactured from march 1, 2001 to december 31, 2002, with serial numbers between 1273701 and 1536607, non-consecutively. A fatigue failure in the section of the cooling unit which contains the refrigerant could allow the liquid solution to slowly leak. If a leak occurs and the refrigerator continues to be operated after solution circulation has ceased the heat source could generate very high temperatures. At such high temperatures, the cooling unit could rupture.
What could happen
If a leak occurs and the unit is continues to operate, hydrogen gas may be expelled and can be ignited, resulting in a fire, possibly causing serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
WINNEBAGO IS WORKING WITH NORCOLD AND NORCOLD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE VEHICLE'S REFRIGERATOR WILL BE REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE (PLEASE SEE 09E-027).
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 2001 to March 2003
- Recall reported to NHTSA29 July 2009
- Owners notified31 August 2009
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 29 July 2009.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact norcold's recall center at 1-800-767-9101.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES, INC.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.