The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·11V085000·Announced 2011-02-02

King of the Road Recalls RVs with Fire-Prone Refrigerators

King of the Road is recalling Crown, Marquis, Royal Villa, and Royalite RVs from 1997 to 2007 because the refrigerator safety shutoffs may not prevent fires caused by hydrogen gas leaks.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a risk of fire due to a hydrogen gas leak, which constitutes a significant injury/property-damage hazard under the rubric for vehicle recalls.

Plain-English summary

King of the Road is recalling certain Crown, Marquis, Royal Villa, and Royalite recreational vehicles manufactured between 1997 and 2007. The recall addresses 1200-series Norcold refrigerators installed in these vehicles. The refrigerators are equipped with a sensing algorithm or thermal switch designed to shut off power when high temperatures are detected, a condition that may indicate a hydrogen gas leak.

The defect is that the response times of these safety devices are not sufficient to stop power quickly enough. Consequently, the shutoff mechanism may fail to prevent a fire in the event of a hydrogen gas leak. The recall began on January 14, 2011.

Owners should contact Norcold dealers to receive the remedy free of charge. King of the Road is working with Norcold to identify and notify affected owners. Owners may also contact Norcold directly at 1-800-767-9101 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
KING OF THE ROAD CROWN, MARQUIS, ROYAL VILLA, ROYALITE
Brand
KING OF THE ROAD
Manufacturer
KING OF THE ROAD
Category
Vehicle — Recreational Vehicle
Hazard
Affected units
761

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (4)

  • CROWN
  • MARQUIS
  • ROYAL VILLA
  • ROYALITE

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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