Transfer switch recall

[tammyb]

http://www.keystonerv.com/media2/pdf...%20-%20Web.pdf
Just found out about this AFTER we had a serious electrical meltdown. Neither Keystone nor our dealer notified us of this recall, dated 12/06/10 and affects LOTS of units. Here is what happened to us:

On Friday we traveled down to Georgia to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Nascar race weekend. We set up our fifth wheel at our campsite at the track that afternoon at 3:30 p.m, and at the time it was 95 outside and hotter inside the camper. We turned on the generator and then turned on both of our air conditioning units. At 6:45 p.m. everything shut off, including the a/c units, as well as the tv and satellite box, which were also on at the time. Nothing else was on. We smelled a strong electrical burning odor. My husband went outside and opened the storage compartment located on the right side of the camper and smoke came out. He did not see a source of the smoke there and went around to the left door of the storage compartment and opened that. Smoke also came out of that side and he noticed that it was coming from the black box where the electrical connection lugs are enclosed. The cover had a black burnt spot on it. He removed the cover and saw that the insulation had melted off of the wires on both sides of the connection lugs. He also noted that the insulation between the lugs had melted. The generator continued to run but was producing no electrical current. My husband turned the generator off, checked all of the breakers inside the camper and determined that none of the breakers were tripped and the 12 volt system was still operational. He did not inspect the generator, only turned it off. We suspect that the only reason our camper did not burn to the ground is because of the fact that the generator breaker tripped and shut off the current.

[Postonent]

Someone was looking out for you!! RVs burn faster than mobile homes, so you are extremely blessed to have come out with only some burned wires.

I think Keystone would be getting a piece of my mind about now and I don't mince words.

[jq1031]

In June of 2008 we were visiting friends outside of Columbus, Ohio. Upon returning from an extended lunch we found our RV in a terrible state. Water was running out the bottom, smoke filled the cabin & all the white leather furniture, carpet,drapes, bed spread, black with soot. While gone the transfer switch started to burn & melt everything inside it. The heat from the fire caused the fresh water tank to melt in spots & the water leaking all over did contain the fire. The fire department came & put the rest of the fire out. The motor home was towed to Elkhart, IN for repairs. We dident get it back untill early December. It was restored to new condition and the fire investigator in Elkhart, working for the insurance company blamed the cause on a faulty transfer switch. As the motor home was still new, the insurance company was going to file a claim against the maker of that switch for reimbursement of the twenty five thousand $$ in damage. Transfer switches usually work without a flaw, but if the wires get chaffed look out!!

[antiqfreq]

Please note the model years are 2009 and 2010 only.

If yours is one of these years, click on that link above
to see which models it involves.

Thanks!

Jo

[geo]

I don't know if "tammyb" has been back to the forum since September or not. I would guess that she might have a selling dealer problem or a registration problem. Doesn't the selling dealer of a "new unit" also send Keystone the registration information for the new owner? For all the problems I had with my selling dealer, I will praise them that they did let Keystone know that I purchased an Alpine. I also registered the Alpine with Keystone myself. And shortly after the Transfer Switch Recall was announced, I received a letter from Keystone.

I have also learned more concerning the Transfer Switch. I have posted this information in "Repairs and Maintenance" rather than cross-post.

Ron

[Retired CSIGuy]

Got a recall notice on the Iota transf switch in my '10 Fuzion 383. had it checked at a dealer in Fresno, CA, Paul Everett....don' go there FYI. They said it was given the ok...two months later on a hot day in KS with both ac's running, it burned through all the wiring....damn lucky the rig didn't catch fire. Had to take it to the Keystone dealer in Abiline, who did a great job by the way, but it took Key stoned a week to get a totally defferent transfer switch to the dealer under warranty. It took almost a year but I eventuyally got reimberfsed for my motel bill from KS also...well...all excepot the "deductable". If your trasnfer switch is an Iota or anything in a plastic box, make Keystone replace it now!