NHTSA Complaint #10356117 — 2006 FOREST RIVER CHEROKEE

TRAVEL TRAILER PARKED AT RV CAMPSITE. DURING MORNING HOURS, REFRIGERATOR CAUGHT FIRE BEHIND UNIT DURING NORMAL USE. OCCUPANTS SMELLED SMOKE AND CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. BEFORE FIRE WAS CONTAINED, ENOUGH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO TOTAL TRAVEL TRAILER. REFRIGERATOR IS LOCATED BY DOOR ON UNIT. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE OCCUPANTS WERE ASLEEP, INJURIES OR DEATH COULD HAVE OCCURRED. WHEN FILING CLAIM WITH INSURANCE COMPANY, WE FOUND THAT THE REFRIGERATOR HAD BEEN RECALLED BY DOMETIC. NO RECALL NOTICE HAD EVER BEEN RECEIVED FROM DOMETIC OR THE DEALER (FUNTIME RV). TRAVEL TRAILER IS A TOTAL LOSS AND EVEN THOUGH DAMAGES ARE COVERED, IF THIS HAD OCCURRED AT A DIFFERENT TIME OR LOCATION, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR