NHTSA Complaint #10682941 — 2013 THOR MOTOR COACH CHALLENGER

I WISH TO REPORT A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD TO 2013 THOR CHALLENGER MODEL 37KT MOTOR HOMES. MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2013 THOR CHALLENGER MODEL 37KT MOTOR HOME IN JUNE, 2012. THE UNIT DID NOT COME WITH LED LIGHTING. I WISH TO STATE THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE FULLTIME RV'ERS. YESTERDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, MY WIFE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR SEVERAL HOURS AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE DOING PAPERWORK. THE LIGHT FIXTURE ABOVE THE TABLE HAD BEEN ON FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WE DISCOVERED A STRONG ODOR OF BURNING PLASTIC AND FOUND THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE LIGHT FIXTURE. I ALSO FOUND THAT THE GLOBES OF THIS FIXTURE WERE EXTREMELY HOT AND STARTING TO MELT. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE GLOBE. ONE OF THE PLASTIC RINGS THAT HELD A BULB HAD DISCOLORED AND MELTED. THE BULBS HAVE SINCE BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH LED BULBS. THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT INVOLVING DEFECTIVE WIRING IN OUR RV. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS IN 2013. IN LATE 2013 I STARTED DETECTING A SLIGHT ODOR OF OZONE OR SOMETHING THAT SMELLED LIKE IT WAS BURNING PLASTIC. I WOULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE. AFTERWARDS, WE STARTED HAVING THE KITCHEN/DINING ROOM CEILING LIGHTS TO FLICKER. THEY FINALLY WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I CONTACTED THOR MOTOR COACH TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. A RV REPAIR SERVICEMAN DISCOVERED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS LOCATED UNDER THE BED IN THE ELECTRIC PANEL HOUSING THE FUSES. A WIRE CONNECTOR FOR THE CEILING WIRING HAD MELTED. THE REPAIRMAN ADVISED THAT THE WIRING USED WAS NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS ON THIS CIRCUIT. HE RECOMMENDED SWITCHING TO LED LIGHTING. IN NOVEMBER OF 2014 I HAD TO REPLACE THE LIGHT FIXTURE ABOVE THE KITCHEN SINK BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL LIGHT BULB HAD GENERATED SO MUCH HEAT THAT IT MELTED THE LENS OF THE FIXTURE AND THEN QUIT WORKING ENTIRELY. I HAVE KEPT MOST OF THE COMPONENTS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND WILL MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FOR YOUR INSPECTION IF NECESSARY. *TR