NHTSA Complaint #10358009 — 2003 PILGRIM OPEN ROAD

DOMETIC RM2852 REFRIGERATOR, SERIAL NO. 23905278. RECALL NOTICE. 06E-076. WE AWOKE IN OUR TRAVEL TRAILER TO THE ODOR OF AMMONIA. WE SEARCHED FOR A CAUSE BUT FOUND NOTHING TO RELATE TO THE ODOR. WE 'AIRED' THE TRAILER AND THE ODOR DISSIPATED. MY WIFE HAS HAD A PERSISTENT COUGH SINCE THE INCIDENT. THE FOLLOWING MORNING, WE DISCOVERED THAT THE REFRIGERATOR WAS NOT COOLING. SUBSEQUENTLY, WHILE INVESTIGATING REPAIR OPTIONS, WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE COOLING UNIT HAD FAILED, WAS CRACKED AND THAT THE AMMONIA CONTENTS HAD ESCAPED. ADDITIONALLY, WE WERE ADVISED THAT OUR UNIT WAS PART OF A RECALL GROUP. I CONTACTED THE DOMETIC COMPANY AND WAS TOLD BY THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT THE COMPANY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE COOLING UNIT. THE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT A RECALL NOTICE HAD BEEN SENT TO US IN 2007 AND THAT IT WAS SENT TO OUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE. MY EXPLANATION WAS THAT OUR MAIL IS DELIVERED TO A POST OFFICE BOX AND THAT WHEN A MAILING DOES NOT CONTAIN OUR PO BOX NUMBER, OUR POSTAL SERVICE PERSONNEL OFTEN RETURN THE MAIL TO THE SENDER. THE REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THE NOTICE WAS RETURNED. I BELIEVE THAT AS IMPORTANT AS THE RECALL SEEMED, A RETURNED NOTICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED BY A REGISTERED LETTER. THE COST TO REPLACE THE COOLING UNIT IS APPROXIMATELY $1000. WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ENTITLED TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM DOMETIC TO REPAIR THE FAILED COOLING UNIT. *TR