Anne Bucher  |  September 15, 2014

Category: Consumer News

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Norcold RV refrigerator defectA settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging that refrigerators made by Norcold Inc., Thetford Corp. and Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corp. for recreational vehicles were prone to overheating and posed a fire risk. The plaintiffs have filed a motion seeking preliminary approval of the class action settlement and asked a judge to certify the Class for settlement purposes.

The refrigerator manufacturers agreed to pay $33 million to settle the RV refrigerator defect class action lawsuit, which was initially filed in December 2012. The plaintiffs alleged the refrigerators in their recreational vehicles (including motor homes and houseboats) had a design defect that caused the boiler tubing of the cooling unit to corrode prematurely and release flammable gas, causing the refrigerators to fail and posing a risk of fire.

According to the refrigerator defect class action lawsuit, the defendants issued a recall of the allegedly defective RV refrigerators to repair them by retrofitting them with new tubing, but the plaintiffs allege these repairs failed to fix the actual defect. They argued that the tubing needed to be completely replaced, not just repaired.

“As the highly-contested class certification motion hearing approached in June 2014, both sides recognized that the motion presented tremendous risk to each, and the outcome would drastically change the landscape of the litigation: Either the class claims would be near valueless if the motion were denied, or the class claims would be so large that they would immediately present a strong risk of non-recovery due to the Defendants’ inability to fund a judgment in the range of that sought (over $700 million),” the motion said.

Under the terms of the proposed class action settlement, Class Members will be compensated based on which refrigerator they purchased and whether they have paid for repairs or replacements. The three RV refrigerator models covered by the class action settlement include the 600 (or N6) Series, the 800 (or N8) Series and the 1200 Series.

Class Members of the proposed RV refrigerator defect class action lawsuit include all U.S. residents who (i) currently own, or formerly owned, a Norcold 1200 Series Gas Absorption Refrigerator or Cooling Unit that was manufactured between Jan. 1, 2002 and Oct. 1, 2012, and/or (ii) currently own a Norcold N6 Series Gas Absorption Refrigerator or Cooling Unit or N8 Series Gas Absorption Refrigerator or Cooling Unit that was manufactured between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2013.

A hearing for the preliminary approval of the RV refrigerator defect class action settlement has been scheduled for Oct. 10, 2014.

The plaintiffs are represented by Hart L. Rabinovich and Bradley C. Buhrow of Zimmerman Reed PLLP and Christopher P. Ridout of Ridout Lyon & Ottoson LLP.

The RV Refrigerator Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Jeffrey Etter, et al. v. Thetford Corp., et al., Case No. 8:13-cv-00081, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE: The Norcold RV refrigerator defect class action settlement is now open! Click here to file a Claim Form. 

UPDATE 2: On July 21, 2017, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving the first of four checks in the mail from the Norcold RV refrigerator defect class action settlement. 

UPDATE 3: On July 5, 2018, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving the second of four checks in the mail from the Norcold class action settlement worth as much as $307.52! 

UPDATE 4: On July 5, 2019, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving the third of four checks in the mail from the Norcold class action settlement worth as much as $307.52! 

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13 thoughts onSettlement Reached in RV Refrigerator Defect Class Action Lawsuit

  1. James miller says:

    We have a norcold 2117 that quit working wth less than 100 hrs. They quit making this model and cannot get replacement, sounds like another lawsuit

  2. Top Class Actions says:

    UPDATE 2: On July 21, 2017, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving the first of four checks in the mail from the Norcold RV refrigerator defect class action settlement. 

    1. Em says:

      Got 1 of 4 checks, $137.34

  3. Denise says:

    When are payments expected to be mailed out?

    1. Larry J. Parsons says:

      The Norcold side by side in our 2003 Holiday Rambler 5th wheel caught fire and destroyed our trailer. We received 2 of the settlement checks, not the four we were told.

  4. Philip R Edwards says:

    We purchased a new Alfa in 2005.It came with a 1200 model ( I think) refrigerator..It never kept ice cream frozen etc.
    we received a recall notice, had the modification completed, no improvement in the cooling, in 2010 after the extended warranty ended, so did the refer, it just quit. Because of the dissatisfaction for 5 years…we installed a house model refrigerator/freezer from Lowes. what a difference.
    My claim class action number is, 10192203601. I do hope to recuperate some of my costs.

  5. Adam Brannick says:

    My wife and I lost 3 dogs and I spent weeks in the burn unit from skin grafts. I never knew how the fire started but I do know that when I shattered the upper window for air the fire was coming from my refrigerator area.

  6. Joseph B. Robinson says:

    My spouse and I happened to be house/dog sitting for my in laws. We awoke to the dog barking and then looking out the window as 1st respondents were gearing up to put flames out it looked like a meteor shower of flames and sooty ash everywhere. We had our 2012 5th wheel Redwood FL36 by Thor Industries parked in their side yard, it had burst into flames due to the Norcold 1200 series refrigerator exploding. Collectively we lost nearly 95 years worth of our lives plus the price of the coach of which when we purchased it 2nd hand was $74,000 or more dollars. We are now homeless and are living hand to mouth. Its pretty amazing when you don’t even have a toothbrush to wake up to. Yet Norcold continues to produce, ship and have installed these ” bombs” into high end coaches, boats, mobile homes etc……Up in flames and sitting in the rumble !

  7. Top Class Actions says:

    UPDATE: The Norcold RV refrigerator defect class action settlement is now open! Click here to file a Claim Form. 

    1. Irma Shaw says:

      Iwould like to be part of the class acton of Norcold.

  8. Top Class Actions says:

    UPDATE: The Norcold RV refrigerator defect class action settlement is now open! Click here to file a Claim Form. 

  9. Michele says:

    Im wondering if you ever got anything from this class action suit. I have a model 2117 Norcold that has the same issue. They have stopped producing this refrigerator & do not make replacement parts, its like they wiped it off the face of the earth. The unit is only 5 yrs old. Normally they produce replacement parts for 10 yrs after they discontinue an appliance but not this one. We are having to purchase a $6500 unit in order to have a fridge in our RV & put back as it would be off the production line. This is awful for consumers. So I was just checking to see if you came out ok? Thanks for any response!

  10. Michael Volentine says:

    Had to replace my Norcold 1200 series with a residential refrigerator so I could use my motor home on trips that had to be made. I am sure that what I receive out of this suit will not come close to the trouble and expense that I have occurred. But as the saying goes “something is better than nothing.”

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